Redemption
by Lady Blade WarAngel
Summary: Naruto has achieved all his goals, except one. When he finally achieves his dream of Sasuke coming back to Konoha, he realises that nothing will ever be the same again. Especially when Sasuke comes back with something to tell his old teammates.
1. Prologue

Okay another Naruto fanfic. This is a Naruto/Sakura fanfic. Sasuke will be involved but my pairing stands. Also there will be misery, death and other such things. If this doesn't appeal to you please don't read and then flame me, I can't be asked with flamers. Constructive criticism is welcome.

SUMMERY: Naruto has achieved all his goals, except one. When he finally achieves his dream of Sasuke coming back to Konoha, he realises that nothing will ever be the same again. Especially when Sasuke comes back with something to tell his old teammates.

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Redemption.

Prologue.

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Sasuke had left Konoha twenty years ago. In Twenty years, so many things had changed, sometimes it would be hard to recognise the village Konoha had once been. Some of these changes were good, others were bad.

One these changes were that the old rookies were certainly not rookies anymore. They had grown, had children of their own, and progressed more than some of them had ever thought they would. Naruto was not one of those people.

The reason for this was simple. Naruto had progressed to exactly where he had always wanted to be. He was now the Rokudaime Hokage. He had worked hard and had been relentless in his training, and had finally achieved half of his major goal in life. The other half however had not been fulfilled. In fact for the last fifteen years, there had been no sight nor whisper of the last Uchiha in any context. This had saddened Naruto greatly. He was Hokage, but without his best friend, he wasn't sure if he could call his dream complete.

Around fourteen years ago, Naruto had started dating Hinata. About a year later, Naruto and Hinata were married, despite the misgivings of the Hyuuga clan. Hiashi Hyuuga had disowned Hinata for her choice. He had even had the caged bird seal placed on her forehead. Naruto had been furious at the action, but Hinata hadn't cared, and a year later, they were blessed with a daughter, who they called Kushina, after Naruto's mother. She had surprisingly red hair, even though her mother had dark hair and her father, blonde hair. She had her father's startlingly blue eyes.

Two years later, they were blessed with another daughter, who looked exactly like her mother, but for the blonde streaks that zigzagged through her hair. But Hinata had terrible difficulties during the birth, and she died very shortly afterwards. Their new daughter, Naruto named Hinata, after her mother.

Naruto had grieved heavily over the loss of Hinata. Sakura was always there to help out with little Hinata and Kushina. Naruto had eventually come out of his blues when little Hinata had turned three, and Kushina was five, Naruto finally started acting like himself again. When Kushina was seven, and Hinata five, Naruto married Sakura. It seemed his love for her never died, not that he didn't love Hinata, but of course Naruto was bound to fall in love again. After all, Naruto had a lot of love to give, and everyone, including Naruto, knew that Hinata would have wanted him to keep on living.

Sakura and Naruto went on to have two more children. Kasumi, who was named after Sakura's mother, and little Sasuke. Sasuke looked very like his father. The same blue eyes and blonde hair was a dead giveaway. He possessed his mother's great intelligence, however, and seemed to make progress in leaps and bounds further then his peers. He was now two. Kasumi, who was four, looked just like her mother, but seemed to have both her parents' penchant for mischief.

In this time, Neji had married Ten Ten, and they had a daughter called Hoshiko, who was now twelve. She had been born around the same time as Kushina, and she had her father's hair, and her mother's eyes. Her hair often tied into Odangos like her mother, she always played the part of the perfect student, unlike her little brother, Hizashi, who was always goofing around. Hizashi was six, and the reverse of his sister, his mother's hair and his father's Byakugan eyes. He kept his hair relatively short and tied into a high ponytail most of the time.

Shikamaru, had married Temari, and they had a daughter, Shikariko, who was six, and a son, Nobu, who was four. Shikariko had black hair and dark eyes like her father, but her mother's personality. Nobu, had his mother hair and eyes, but his father's lazy habits.

Sai had grown rather close to Ino over the years. They had married six years ago, when they found out the Ino was pregnant. Of course, Sai had read in a book that it was the right thing to do, so having wanted to do it anyway, he had proposed to Ino who had immediately said yes. Their first child, Inoshi, had Sai's black hair and his mother's blue eyes. Of course two years later they had another child, a girl called Shiori, who was now the same age as Kasumi, and had her mother's blonde hair, and her father's dark eyes.

Shino had married Yakumo Kurama, his sensei Kurenai's former student, before team eight. They had a son, Kenji, who looked very like his father. He was ten, the same age as little Hinata, and his genjutsu skills were of a great magnitude, with his fathers' kikkai bugs and his mothers' genjutsu skills, Kenji excelled at the academy.

Kiba was married to a nice girl called Suki, and they had three children. Their eldest was a boy called Keido. He was twelve and the spitting image of his father, with a little nin dog called Hakuri, who was one of Akamaru's pups. The second child was a girl called Tsume, who was ten. She looked like her mother, with her honey coloured hair and bright copper coloured eyes. She had a pup called Gigi. A fiery red pup who had been bred from her grandma Tsume's dog. The third child was four and he was called Kyo. He had his mother's honey coloured hair and his father's brown eyes. His pup was a honey coloured pup called Zane.

Chouji was married to a woman who loved to cook, almost as much as Chouji loved to eat. Her name was Mikina and they had two children. A daughter called Mariko, who was ten and a six year old son called Chouzin. Chouzin looked exactly like his father, whilst Mariko had the soft, delicate features of her mother. She also had her mother's chocolate brown hair and amethyst coloured eyes. Both were trainees in the ninja academy like all the other children of the rookies.

Lee had somehow become rather close to Ayame over the years. She was as devoted to her family's ramen shop, as Lee was to his training. Both had encouraged each other over the years, and had become friends, then fallen in love. When little Hinata had been born, Ayame and Lee already had a newborn son, Daisuke, who was the spitting image of his father. They also had a daughter called Mai. She was six years old, with her mother's looks, and the same determination as both her parents. She however had not wanted to become a ninja. She was quite happy to learn all there was to know about Ichiraku Ramen instead and follow in her mother's and grandfather's footsteps.

Gaara had the same misfortune as Naruto. His wife gave birth to triplets of all things. Two boys and a girl. When Naruto and Hinata had celebrated the birth of their first child, Gaara was still learning how to be a single parent, to not one but three newborn babies. The two boys, Hiroshi and Takashi, had red hair and sea green eyes, like their father. The girl, Ayuko, had black hair and very light blue eyes. She had been named after her mother. The three twelve year olds had just graduated from the ninja academy in Suna and were their own three man squad.

Kankuro married Gaara's student Matsuri, who had only been a couple of years younger than Gaara herself, and they had two children of their own. Natsumi, their ten year old daughter, who was the spitting image of her father, just with longer hair. And Tsukai their six year old son, who looked like his mother, but with short, spiked hair.

Kakashi and Anko somehow fell in love and got married. It was a major shock when it happened, but no one said a word, despite their marriage being a shock. They had three children, Sakumo, Saiyuri and Tenshi. Sakumo was fifteen years old, and had already become a Chunin. His silver hair and chocolate brown eyes were always visible. Of course, he decided to take after his father, and where a mask twenty-four-seven. Naruto would always pull the mask down and Sakumo would always get irritated. In fact, Sakumo was one of Naruto's own students. Naruto had taken on a team of Genin when he felt it time and they had flourished under his care. He had been their teacher for three years now, but of course, they had become Chunin's rather quickly with such a capable teacher (though no one believed it) and while Naruto was still Sakumo's dear Sensei, that didn't stop the annoyance factor.

Saiyuri, Anko and Kakashi's twelve year old daughter, had her father's silver hair and his dark eyes. She was quite happy to show her face in public, and in fact was very happy to recruit Kushina into any mad pranks she decided to pull. Kushina was always happy to help her best friend out so that usually caused mass panic around the village. Naruto had learned exactly how to handle the two, preadolescent girls, over the years he'd been Hokage. That didn't stop Saiyuri's constant mischievousness. Kakashi would usually shrug under questioning about his crazy daughter, while Anko would quite proudly proclaim that she was her mother's child.

Tenshi, the last born of the Hatake family, was the quietest and least riotous child of the three. Kakashi and Anko had certainly picked the right name for Tenshi, as he was a little angel. Never was he caught in trouble, and rarely was there a time when he didn't complete his homework, or finish his chores. He had his mother's dark hair, and her chocolate coloured eyes, but no one could think where he got his personality from. He was ten and a proud student of the ninja academy.

Gai had managed to find a wife that was as crazy as he was. Her name was Ryoko and they had two children. Watari, who was the spitting image of his father, at the age of fifteen, always challenged Sakumo to contests. Then there was Tamiko, who was twelve. She had the same bright lilac, spiky hair, as her mother, and the same bright gold eyes. She was a quiet child, but was well heard when she needed to be.

Shizune and Iruka had also become close over the years, working together at the academy and with Tsunade. They had married and had two children. A son called Dan, who had Shizune's looks, and a daughter called Taiyuko who had Iruka's complexion. Dan was another student on Naruto's team. He was eager to learn and always listened with an open ear, as both of his parents did. He was also a Chunin and his black hair, like his mother's, was tied into a spiky high ponytail, like his father's hair. Taiyuko, who was ten, was Hinata's best friend. She was very quiet, until she needed to be heard, and wore her spiky brown hair in a ponytail. Her bangs stuck out all around her face, and her chocolate brown eyes, also like her father's, sparkled with happiness all the time. She was usually seen, sat in the academy, next to Hinata, reading a large novel.

The most shocking surprise of all was when Tsunade and Jiraiya announced they were getting married, due to Tsunade being pregnant. Naruto had almost died from the shock of the people he saw as his grandparents getting married. He got over it quickly enough. He'd become godfather to Tsunade and Jiraiya's seventeen year old son, Nawaki. Nawaki was in Anbu, and had his father's dark eyes and white hair. Blonde streaks ran through the mane of white, and Naruto found it hilarious when Nawaki tried to tame his extremely spiky hair. Nawaki had chopped his hair short and it stuck out in spikes all around his head, as Naruto's hair did.

Tsunade and Jiraiya's daughter, was a strange girl indeed. She was the last to make up Naruto's Genin team and she was called Mayumi. Mayumi had her mother's blonde hair and honey coloured eyes. However, she had a mischievous need to spy on people like her father. This often got her into trouble. Although Naruto was the first to admit that her transparency jutsu was flawless and had helped them on a number of missions.

All this time had been going by and Naruto had wished that he would catch even a glimpse of his old friend, so he could work out how to get him back to the village that had been his home. Little did Naruto know that he was soon to get his wish, more then he could ever imagine.

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Okay all this is just a formal intro to the fic. I'll be posting the next chapter up in a couple of days. Please R&R and ask any questions you like. I'll get back to you.


	2. Watching

Okay all, here's the first chapter of Redemption. I hope you all enjoy it.

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Redemption.

Chapter 1 – Watching.

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In the shadows, someone watched the Uzumaki family home. They noted the presence of a tree swing, and a sandbox in the back garden. They also noted a target, set up on one of the various trees, along with a practice dummy and some climbing equipment. The person smiled softly to themselves, as a red-headed child wandered out into the back garden and sat on the tree swing. The girl used her feet to move herself gently, backwards and forwards, and her long red hair fanned out behind her. The watcher took note of the new forehead protector tied around her arm. The child seemed sad although it was obvious she had just graduated. That was when a dark-haired child walked out into the garden and over to the elder red-head.

"Kushina-Chan, what's wrong?" The girl asked. "Nothing imotou-chan. Everything's fine." Kushina said. A wide grin spread on her face, but it was a fake grin. "Then why are you out here in the garden by yourself? Daddy and Mommy are inside waiting for us." The girl asked. "Maybe I don't want to celebrate Hinata. Maybe being a ninja isn't something I wanted." Kushina replied bitterly. "Well what do you want then?" Hinata asked wisely. "For everyone to stop thinking I'm just the child of the sixth Hokage. Everyone thinks I'm fantastic Hinata. They only believe that because Dad is the Sixth Hokage and Mom was a Hyuga. Grandpa was the Fourth Hokage. When do people stop looking at your lineage Hinata?" Kushina said sadly. "Maybe when you become all famous by yourself?" Hinata replied thoughtfully. Kushina sighed and looked at various flowers in the garden. "I don't know if I can think the way you do Hinata." Kushina said. "You don't have to think the way I do Nee-Chan. Daddy always say we're different people." Hinata replied. Her smile was wide and Kushina gave Hinata a weak smile back as she carried on staring at the flowers, thinking deeply about something. Hinata stared at Kushina, as though she wanted to say something else to her older sister but couldn't think of the right words to speak.

Before Kushina or Hinata could say anything else, a tall, blonde teenager, traipsed into the garden. "Kushina, Hinata, come on inside. Your Dad's waiting for you." The girl said. A cheeky grin on her face. Hinata ran off into the house. Kushina stared at the blond. "Hi Mayumi-chan." Kushina said sadly. "Oh don't be so morbid kiddo. You just graduated." Mayumi said cheerfully. "I..." Kushina wanted to say something, but she seemed to trail off and stay silent. "What's wrong kiddo?" Mayumi asked kindly. "Nothing Mayumi. I'm fine. I'll come in soon. Just give me a few minutes." Kushina said sadly. Mayumi shrugged and traipsed off, leaving Kushina to stare down at her feet.

The someone who had been watching Kushina, saw a blond male come out. He was tall, tanned, and cut an impressive figure. He'd changed since he'd been the little Genin who liked to pull pranks. Naruto Uzumaki strode over to Kushina. He waited for her to notice him, which didn't take more than a few seconds. She looked at him warily. Hi Dad." She said softly. "Can I sit down Kushina?" Naruto asked. Kushina moved up on the swing and Naruto sat next to her. Naruto smiled down at her and put an arm around her shoulders. "What's wrong with you today sweetie?" Naruto asked. Kushina looked up at him blankly. "I don't always know what you're thinking, but I know you're not happy today. You haven't seemed happy for awhile." Naruto added. Kushina looked at him carefully. She couldn't judge whether or not she really wanted to voice her fears to her father. "Dad, when you were little, did you have dreams?" Kushina asked. "Sure I did. I always wanted to be Hokage. From when I was a little kid like Kasumi I dreamed about the day I'd become the Hokage and protect the village." Naruto replied. Kushina bit her lip. "Do you have a dream carrot top?" Naruto asked. It was an obvious pet name that Naruto had used for years, as Kushina smiled happily. "I...... I don't really have a dream Dad." Kushina said timidly. Naruto blinked for a few minutes. Then he grinned at her widely. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me. I trust you'll do the right thing no matter what." Naruto said softly.

Kushina shook her head wildly, her red hair flying all over the place, and hugged Naruto tightly. "I'm not so sure about myself Dad." Kushina said tearfully. Naruto blinked as he looked at his twelve year old daughter. "What do you mean Kushina?" Naruto asked. "I-" Kushina was about to speak but Sakura came out of the house. "Come on you two. Tsunade-Shishou just got here with Jiraiya, Kakashi-Sensei and Anko came about a minute ago. Saiyuri is running around like a maniac looking for you Kushina." Sakura said happily. "Thanks Auntie Sakura." Kushina said softly. Sakura smiled at Kushina and then walked back into the house. Naruto smiled at his daughter. "What were you gonna say sweetie?" Naruto asked. Kushina shook her head vigorously. "Nothing Dad. Nothing at all." Kushina said cheerfully. The cheer didn't seem to spread to her eyes. The pair stood up from the swing and walked inside. None of them had noticed the presence watching them all that time.

In the tree, Sasuke looked around, and watched. He had missed out on a real life. He knew it too. Now was very different. Now Sasuke knew it was time to come back to where he had been born. Two dark-haired boys were with him. One was twelve, the other was two. There was also a girl of seven. The twelve year old looked at Sasuke expectantly. "Father, why are we here?" The boy asked. "We're here, Itachi, because this was my home. It still is my home." Sasuke said softly. The girl looked up at Sasuke. "But Daddy, if it's your home why did you leave it?" The girl asked softly. "I left for reasons that are hard to explain now, Hikari. I will try and explain it to you soon." Sasuke replied. The girl seemed placated with that answer. The two year old child was wriggling around in Itachi's arms. "Naruto, hold still, or you're gonna fall." Itachi said softly. Sasuke smiled, and the group jumped down into the garden, ready to crash the party.

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Okay all this is just the first chapter. The next chapter will be longer. But these first two are just the start. I hope ya enjoyed the chapter and I'll be updating next week people.


	3. Confession

Okay here is the second chapter everyone. I hope ya all enjoy it.

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Redemption

Chapter 2 – Confession.

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Naruto saw something land in the garden. He told Jiraiya to make sure the children stayed in the house, while he and Kakashi went outside to check it out. What they found was a complete shock. Sasuke stood there with three children. Two boys and a girl. Naruto blinked at Sasuke in confusion. "Sasuke?" Naruto looked at him in complete mystification. "Hey Dobe." Sasuke replied blankly. Although Naruto could see the smile in his eyes. "Teme! What are you doing here?" Naruto asked. At that moment, Kushina came into the garden. "Dad, Auntie Sakura wanted you to hel- Hey who are you?" Kushina asked. "Kushina, go inside okay?" Naruto said softly. Kushina nodded softly. "Sure Dad." Kushina turned to walk off when Sasuke spoke. "Can my children go inside Naruto? I'd prefer to talk to you alone." Sasuke asked softly. Naruto grinned and nodded. "Kushina be nice, and show these three around okay. What are your names?" Naruto asked the children. The little girl hid behind Sasuke's leg, peeking out from behind her father, reminding Naruto, painfully, of Hinata.

"I'm Itachi. My little sister is Hikari, my little brother is Naruto." The older boy replied easily. Naruto blinked at Sasuke in confusion. "Go with Kushina-Chan and behave, alright? Itachi, look after your sister. I'm sure Naruto will have no problems playing with the other kids." Sasuke said sternly. Itachi nodded, and grabbed hold of Hikari's hand and picked up little Naruto. They followed Kushina inside. "Where do you want to go and talk?" Naruto asked. "Our old training ground." Sasuke replied. "It's okay Kakashi. I'll go and talk to Sasuke. Tell Sakura to follow on to the old training ground." Naruto said softly. Kakashi nodded and went inside.

The two decided to shunshin to the training ground and made it there in plenty of time. "What made you come back Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "It was time I came home. I should have come back a long time ago." Sasuke said softly. "Those three kids are yours?" Naruto asked. Sasuke nodded. "Your daughter looks like you. The red hair wasn't something I expected." Sasuke replied. "No Hinata and I didn't expect the red hair either. We think it must've skipped a generation from my mother." Naruto said softly. He always felt a little sad when he talked about Hinata. "I heard about Hinata. Some Leaf Shinobi were talking about it in a bar I happened to be in. I'm sorry." Sasuke said kindly. Naruto nodded. "It's okay Sasuke. Things like this happen." Naruto stated sadly. "So you have how many kids, Dobe?" Sasuke asked. "Four. Kushina, Hinata, Kasumi and Sasuke." Naruto said proudly. "You named your son after me?" Sasuke asked. He seemed surprised. "You named your son after me." Naruto shot back. "True. Is Sakura seeing anyone?" Sasuke asked.

"Actually, Naruto and I are married." Sasuke and Naruto turned to look at Sakura. She had her hair pinned up. She'd allowed it to grow a little longer over the years, but never as long as she had had it when they were Genins. Sasuke smiled. "I'm glad. I was kind of worried. If you weren't with anyone I would have left." Sasuke stated. "Why would you do that?" Sakura asked. "You used to have a huge crush on me Sakura. Now would not be a good time for you to still have that crush to be perfectly honest." Sasuke answered. "How comes Teme? Not that I'm not glad to be married to Sakura-Chan and all, I'm just curious." Naruto asked. Sasuke sighed deeply. Naruto could see that he was exhausted and looked paler then he had ever looked before.

"I'm really sick." Sasuke replied softly. "Being sick means you'll get better Sasuke." Sakura stated. "No... Sakura... I'm too sick to get better. I... I'm..." Sasuke seemed unsure how to say what he needed to say. "I'm dying. I don't have that much longer to live." Sasuke finally breathed out. Sakura and Naruto stared at Sasuke in horror. Sakura ran over to Sasuke, her hands green with medical ninjutsu chakra. She scanned Sasuke with her chakra and shook her head as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Sakura?" Naruto questioned. "His cells are being destroyed by some weird thing. I've never seen anything like it before. I don't know what, if anything, I could do." Sakura sobbed. Naruto walked up to her and hugged her tightly. He knew that she had wanted to get Sasuke back, just like Naruto had, for years. They had both trained to get their team mate back. They missed their friend. To be so close and to realise it was pointless was a terrible thing for anyone to bear.

"I'm sorry." Sasuke said softly. "Sasuke, why didn't you come back sooner? Maybe Tsunade can help." Naruto questioned. "I've been to quite a few medics and doctors. Tsunade is my last hope, but I don't expect much. My days are numbered Naruto. I wanted to spend them with the people I care about most in this world." Sasuke replied. "You are my best friend Naruto. You're like the loyal brother I never had. Sakura is like my sister. I just...... wanted your faces to be the last I see. I don't want my children to be all alone when I'm gone. I don't want them to have to watch me die by themselves. I'm going to deteriorate and I'm going to get worse. I don't want to put them through it all alone." Sasuke added. "Where's their mother?" Sakura asked. "She's dead. She got killed on a mission a year ago. She was a Sound Ninja. I left a long time ago. She refused to. She made her choices." Sasuke replied. Naruto understood that the subject was too painful to really broach right now for Sasuke.

Sakura looked at Naruto and then at Sasuke. Naruto grinned at her. "Come on Sasuke. Welcome home. For however long that might be. You'll stay with us." Naruto said seriously. Sasuke smirked his usual smirk. "We'll look after your children too Sasuke. You know that." Sakura added. "I know. I know that you'll treat them well. That's what I want for them." Sasuke said calmly. The team walked back to the house, finally reunited, and discussing all the things that had happened over the years. Who was with who, who had kids, and so on. It was a never ending stream that came without pause.

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Sasuke was sat carefully on the tree branch, which held the tree swing, in Naruto and Sakura's garden. He wondered for the millionth time since he decided to come back to Konoha if it was a good idea or not. He didn't want to put Naruto and Sakura through any more pain. He'd done enough of that. As he was thinking, he saw Kushina come outside and sit on the swing. She looked like she had been crying, with tear streaks down her face, and her red hair blowing around wildly in the wind. She was holding something in her hands and looking at it intently. Sasuke used the Sharingan to see that it was a picture of Kushina as a young child, with Naruto and Hinata. Her stomach stuck out, so Sasuke figured she must have been pregnant with little Hinata when the picture was taken.

Sasuke jumped down next to the swing and Kushina jumped, nearly falling off the swing in fright. "Sorry about that kid." Sasuke said softly. Kushina glared a little then moved up so Sasuke could sit next to her. She was wearing a pale blue robe, and Sasuke could see her pale blue slippers and pyjama pants near the bottom of the robe. Sasuke sat down next to the young Genin. "So what's bothering you kid?" Sasuke asked Kushina gently. "Dad told me that you're not very well, right?" Kushina asked. Sasuke nodded. "You're Dad's friend. I've heard about `Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke' all my life!" Kushina stated. "Really?" Sasuke asked. Kushina nodded softly. "It's strange to meet you properly. Even though you're pretty much how I imagined you." Kushina replied softly. "That doesn't explain why you were crying kid." Sasuke stated. Kushina sighed and looked at the picture. "I never expected it when Mom died like that. I got a Sister, and lost a Mother." Kushina said softly. "I'm sorry Kushina. Your Mom was very quiet. But I always knew she really loved your Dad." Sasuke said softly. Kushina nodded. "But now, you're going to die. I heard Auntie Sakura and Dad talking about it." Kushina stated before Sasuke could ask any questions. Sasuke nodded and Kushina continued. "After Mom died, Dad was so lost. He almost didn't come out of it. If it wasn't for Auntie Sakura, he might never have gone back to being that Dad I know." Kushina said sadly. "You're afraid that when I die he's going to be the same." Sasuke stated. Kushina shook her head. "I know he'll be worse, because you're his best friend. You're like Dad's brother. He loves you like family. It'll hurt him so badly when you die." Kushina stated.

Sasuke bit his lip. His worst fears seemed to be coming to life. "I'm glad you came back though." Kushina added. Sasuke blinked at her in confusion. "It would have been much, _much_ worse if you'd died and he'd just found out about it later. Or he had never known what happened to you. He was always sad that he didn't bring you back to the village. He said his goal wasn't complete until you came back home." Kushina said softly. Sasuke smiled softly and ruffled Kushina's hair playfully. "Hey Kushina, don't worry. I'll do everything I can to make it all up to your Dad." Sasuke said. Kushina nodded and stood up to walk inside. "Why do you call Sakura, Auntie Sakura?" Sasuke asked as an afterthought. The twelve year old looked at Sasuke for a moment, than replied. "Because she was always Auntie Sakura to me. Hinata never knew our Mom. I did. It'd be wrong to call someone else Mom. At least... it would be to me." Kushina stated. She turned around to go inside again, and then she looked at Sasuke carefully. "You should come inside Uncle Sasuke. It's getting cold. The last thing you need, when you're sick, is to get a chill on top." Kushina said kindly. Sasuke nodded and followed the girl inside. He wondered why some of her words seemed so bitter for a child of her age. _"She still didn't give a reason for why she was crying."_ Sasuke thought to himself.

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The next day, Sasuke was being dragged by Naruto and Sakura to see Tsunade. When they knocked at the door, Jiraiya opened it. Sasuke nearly died from shock seeing the shirtless male in Tsunade's house. "I did tell you they were married." Naruto stated. "Hearing isn't believing." Sasuke replied. Jiraiya smirked. "Tsunade'll be down in a minute. Come in." Jiraiya stated. They walked into the house and Sasuke noted that the place was decorated to both Tsunade's and Jiraiya's tastes. Somehow it all blended. Suddenly, a tall, male appeared from nowhere and tapped Sakura on the shoulder. Sakura jumped in fright, while the male laughed madly. "Sorry Sakura-San, Naruto-San. I couldn't resist." The tall male said kindly. Naruto shook his head in disbelief. "Well Nawaki you may be in Anbu but you're still a kid at heart." Sakura stated. Nawaki shrugged. "Well my parents are way too old now for all this stuff. I can't shock the hell outta them it might kill them off. They are seventy now." Nawaki said seriously.

"Mom had better not here you Aniki. She'll murder you in two seconds flat if she does." The group looked to see Mayumi leaning against the stair banisters. "What are you up to Mayumi?" Naruto asked suspiciously. Mayumi blinked and grinned at the trio of guests. "Hey Naruto-Sensei, Sakura-San. I'm gonna go and meet Dan and Sakumo. We're trying to figure out how to get Kakashi-San's mask off. We all wanna know who Sakumo, Saiyuri and Tenshi take after." Mayumi said gleefully. "Well you can try I doubt you'll get far." Sasuke stated. Mayumi glared slightly. "It's true Mayumi. Sasuke, Sakura and I tried to unmask Kakashi a lot when we were Genins. It just never happened. He was always too smart for us." Naruto added. "So that's Sasuke Uchiha?" Mayumi asked. The group nodded. Mayumi shrugged. "It should still be fun trying! We could get Anko-San to help too!" Mayumi exclaimed. Her eyes gleamed with mischief as she left the house. She seemed to be smart enough to know not to ask any more questions about Sasuke.

"So that girl is one of your students?" Sasuke asked. "Yeap. She is one of my students. Funnily enough she's more like Ero-Sennin then Tsunade Baa-Chan would ever like to admit." Naruto said happily. A large grin spread across his face. "My daughter is not a raging pervert, Gaki." The group looked to see Tsunade. She looked the same as always. "Of course she's not Baa-Chan." Naruto replied. Tsunade rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised he didn't get a good punch to the head for calling you that." Sasuke stated. "I'm seventy years old Uchiha. I can hardly deny my age now." Tsunade stated and walked down the stairs slowly. Time did start to show on the former Godaime Hokage. "So you wanted to see me about something?" Tsunade asked. Sakura and Naruto nodded. Nawaki shrugged. "I'm going on a mission Ma. I'll be back in about a week." Nawaki said kindly. Tsunade bit her lip and hugged her son tightly. He shrugged and smiled. "I'll be back as soon as possible okay Ma? I already told Dad. This'll be my last Anbu mission. When I come back, I want to train a squad of my own, so I've already asked Naruto-San to let me become a Jounin." Nawaki said. Naruto sighed as the mother and son said goodbye and Nawaki left. "I wish you'd tell me before you sent him out on these mad missions." Tsunade stated. Naruto shrugged. "You know I can't Baa-Chan. Sometimes it's just not in my power to say anything. Nawaki is a tough kid. Plus he's practically the best Anbu we've got. He'll be fine." Naruto reassured gently. "Being good, means he gets the most dangerous missions Naruto." Tsunade said kindly. "I know. But he always comes back Baa-Chan. This time he's staying for good." Naruto said. Tsunade nodded and then turned her attention to Sasuke. "Well let's have a look at you Uchiha." Tsunade stated. She then led the trio to a room near the stairs. It had its own examination table. "Sasuke, just sit on the examination table, and let me see what exactly is wrong with you." Tsunade said kindly. Sasuke nodded and sat on the table.

Tsunade started the examination process, taking some blood, and using her own medical chakra to scan Sasuke's body. The look on her face didn't seem to bode well. When she had finished, she looked at Naruto and Sakura sadly. "I can slow the illness down, but I doubt I can stop it. It's not going to be nice for you Sasuke. You'll end up vomiting a lot of the time, and if your hair doesn't fall out, it'll be a miracle. But you'll be alive for longer, while I try to figure out a way to get rid of the illness from your system completely." Tsunade said kindly. Sasuke bit his lip and nodded. He wanted to be around for as long as possible. "How does this thing start?" Sasuke asked. "I'll give you tablets and scan you with a form of radiation. It'll make the illness recede a little, but that doesn't mean forever, and I have no idea how long it'll work for." Tsunade said softly. "Does he have a chance of surviving?" Naruto asked. "I'll know more after I see his reaction to the treatment. It's not nice and I've seen very few people who came out on the other side of it." Tsunade stated. "I'll be using an X-ray machine to scan you before I give you this treatment Sasuke. I'll see if this thing can be removed any other way. It'll be your decision if you chose to have this treatment or not." Tsunade said sternly. Sasuke nodded, and the group left for home.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina was sat in her room, looking over the back garden. Her father was due to set up the new teams today, and she'd know who was on her team in one week. She watched Itachi, showing Hinata how to use a new shuriken jutsu. "I hate all of this." She murmured to herself softly. "What do you hate kid?" Kushina turned to see Sasuke standing outside her bedroom. She went back to staring out of the window. "Nothing Uncle Sasuke. I'm just feeling morbid." Kushina stated. "I'm not easy to fool Kushina. Something is obviously bugging you kid. Why don't you get it off of your chest?" Sasuke asked her. "Do you ever feel like you're not supposed to be here? Like you're existence doesn't belong in a certain place? Like you should be somewhere else doing something else?" Kushina asked. "The real question is do _you_ feel that way and if it is _alright_ to feel that way." Sasuke stated. Kushina sighed. "I..." Kushina seemed like she wanted to speak, that was when Sakura appeared. "Hey Kushina, are you hungry?" Sakura asked. "No I'm alright Auntie Sakura." Kushina said softly. She got up from where she'd been sitting, and left the room. Her red hair in contrast to the orange top, with black sleeves that she wore. Her black shorts a little too long and her black ninja sandals, in her hand as she ran off down the stairs, she was obviously going to leave the house. Sakura stared after her. "I don't know why but Kushina seems so... different since she graduated." Sakura stated softly. Sasuke bit his lip as he remembered the questions she'd asked him. The truth was that he had indeed felt that way once. Just before he had decided to defect. _"How can I tell Naruto that his daughter is heading down the same path I once went down?"_ Sasuke thought to himself.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi was sat in the garden, watching as Hinata and Kasumi made friends with Hikari. She was still extremely shy but slowly, Hinata and Kasumi were pushing at the quiet shell she had created around herself. "What do you think?" Itachi's head whipped round to look at his father. "It's okay here Father. I wish I was doing something though. When you were my age, you were already a Genin. I should be doing more." Itachi stated softly. "I can talk to Uncle Naruto for you if you like. It would mean passing a test if you want to be a Genin, but I'm sure it can be done. You'd have to work with two others on a three man squad with a Jounin Sensei." Sasuke said. Itachi gave a small smirk, very like his father's. "I'd like that. It might be interesting to work with others." Itachi replied. Sasuke ruffled Itachi's hair gently and walked off. Itachi carried on watching over the girls. After all, the two boys were inside, with Auntie Sakura.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

That afternoon, Naruto was examining the team lists. It seemed they were a member short for one team. There were two girls without a third team member. "How can I put Saiyuri and Kushina together with no third teammate?" Naruto thought to himself. He heard a knock at his door, and when he called out to someone to enter, it was Sasuke that walked into the room. "Hey Teme what's up?" Naruto asked. "Nothing. I was wondering if there was a chance that Itachi could join a Genin squad. I want him to know about this village, and he's definitely able." Sasuke stated. "He'd have to pass a test like everyone else." Naruto said. "I know that. But he'd definitely pass." Sasuke replied. Naruto grinned. "Well Iruka will be happy to give him a good test." Naruto said. Sasuke and Naruto laughed at the memories of their old Sensei's idea of a test. _"Well if Itachi passes, it'll solve my uneven squad problem."_ Naruto thought to himself. That was when Konohamaru barged in. "Hey Naruto Nii-Chan! Iruka-Sensei is here!" Konohamaru yelled loudly. Sasuke blinked. The last time he'd seen the boy, he was positive he'd been an eight year old child, not even a Genin yet. But of course time passed, and Konohamaru had grown up well. He wore the Jounin vest, and grinned widely, as he always used to. "Tell him to come in Konohamaru." Naruto said kindly. Konohamaru nodded and left the room as quickly as he'd entered it.

"He sure grew up didn't he?" Sasuke questioned. "Yeah. Apparently he's a real Ladies Man. I find it hard to believe I knew him when he was just a little squirt." Naruto replied. The two males smirked at the old memories. That was when Iruka arrived in the office. "Hey Hokage-Sama, what can I do for you?" Iruka asked kindly. "Don't call me Hokage-Sama for one Iruka-Sensei!" Naruto exclaimed. "Do you know how old I feel when you call me Sensei?" Iruka replied. The two males just grinned widely at each other. "Well, I'm sure you know Sasuke's come back to the village." Naruto stated. "As if seeing him standing in the corner wasn't an obvious give away." Iruka replied, making Naruto laugh. "Anyway, his son, Itachi, is old enough to take part in the Genin exams. He'd like to become a Genin, and take part in missions for this village. I was hoping, seeing as we have an uneven number of graduates this year, that you might wanna give him the test?" Naruto asked. "Of course, but there's a chance he might fail." Iruka stated seriously. "We'll see when you test him Sensei." Sasuke replied.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Iruka blinked at the test paper he'd just marked for Itachi Uchiha. _"Well he's smart that's for sure."_ Iruka thought. He had to test the boy's physical skills, but if they were as good as his written test then Iruka was sure that Itachi would pass. That was when he called Itachi into the room for the physical part of his test.

xXxXxXx ONE WEEK LATER xXxXxXx

All the graduates gathered for their team placements in their old classroom. Kushina was sat next to Saiyuri and Keido, Hoshiko and Tamiko were sat in front of them. "I wonder what teams we're going to be on." Tamiko said quietly. "I bet Saiyuri and Kushina are together." Keido stated. "I bet you're on the same team as that Tenjin!" Hoshiko stated. Keido glared. "I'd rather drop out then be on the same team as him. He's the biggest jerk I know." Keido stated angrily. The four girls laughed. "What do you think Kushina?" Hoshiko asked. "Actually I'd wager that you and Keido are likely to be on the same team." Kushina said blandly. "I'll also wager that Tamiko is with you too." Kushina added. Tamiko, Keido and Hoshiko stared at Kushina incredulously.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi entered the classroom, feeling very irritated. His father had walked him to the academy, but that wasn't what bothered him. It was the looks that people seemed to be giving him where ever he went. As soon as he went to walk down the stairs of the classroom, to sit in a spare seat, a boy tripped him, and he slipped face first into someone.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina stood up from her chair, and went to make her way out of the classroom. "I'm gonna go and find Iruka-Sensei." Kushina stated. As soon as she had stepped into the narrow pathway between chairs, she felt someone fall into her, and their lips met. She stared into jet black eyes and realised it was Itachi. The two pushed apart, staring at each other in horror. Then she saw Itachi glare at Tenjin. "What'd you trip me for moron?" Itachi hissed. "You're an Uchiha, and all Uchiha's are traitors. Besides, you're not in our class, so you shouldn't even be here anyway. You're not a graduate." Tenjin hissed. Kushina glared at the grey-eyed boy evilly. "He is a graduate, can you see the leaf headband round his forehead? They're not a fashion accessory. If anyone falls into me again because of you, I'll knock your teeth out through the back of your head." Kushina hissed angrily. Tenjin glared at her. "You're just pissed because he got your first kiss Ice Queen." Tenjin spat out. "What'd you call me asswipe?" Kushina growled out.

Before Kushina could move to punch Tenjin, Iruka arrived. It seemed he had perfect timing after all. "Okay, Kushina, Itachi, take your seats please." Iruka called out as he made his way to the blackboard. Kushina sat back where she was sitting before and Itachi sat in the spare seat next to Saiyuri, and the window. Saiyuri sat in between Kushina and Itachi. Niether Kushina nor Itachi knew that they were sitting the seats their own fathers had sat in. "Okay, as you all know, you're now Genins. That isn't without a certain type of risk. So you should always listen to your Jounin Sensei and stay alert." Iruka stated. The room stayed silent, but there were several students nodding their understanding. "Now all of you know we place Genin in three man squads, with a Jounin Sensei to lead you on your missions. So I'm going to read out the list of teams. When I call your names, try and find your team mates and sit together." Iruka stated. Kushina didn't pay much attention to the names being called. She heard Tenjin get called into team three, then thanked god he wasn't on her team, or any of her friend's teams.

"Team Seven. Saiyuri Hatake." Iruka called out. Saiyuri stared intently waiting for the names of her other teammates. "Kushina Uzumaki." Iruka called. Kushina looked at Saiyuri, a soft smile graced her lips. "And Itachi Uchiha." Iruka added. The two girls stared at Itachi for a moment. Then Iruka called out the next team. "Team Eight, Keido Inuzuka, Hoshiko Hyuuga and Tamiko Maito." Iruka stated formally. The new team and Saiyuri stared at Kushina. "How did you know we were going to be on the same team?" Keido hissed. "Because your dad was on the same team as my mother and Shino-San. Also, my uncle Neji, Hoshiko's father was on the same team as Hoshiko's Mom, Auntie Ten Ten, as well as Lee-San. They were trained under Tamiko's dad, Gai-San. So it seemed logical, seeing as Shino-San doesn't have a twelve year old son or daughter, that the three of you would get placed together, because of past ties and working teams." Kushina whispered back. "So you're saying that when my sister, Tsume, graduates, she's gonna end up on a team with Hinata and Kenji Aburame?" Keido asked, whilst stroking his puppy, Hakuri. "Probably. It's all just logical. Like Inoshi, Shikariko and Chouzin will probably end up together too." Kushina replied. "How does that work?" Saiyuri asked. "Well, Inoichi, Ino-San's father, Shikaku, Shikamaru-San's father, and Chouza, Chouji-San's father, were all on the same team, that was known as the 'Ino-Shika-Cho' squad and then Ino-San, Shikamaru-San and Chouji-San were all on the same squad, also known as the 'Ino-Shika-Cho' squad. So it's likely that Inoshi, Shikariko and Chouzin will all be on the same squad too. Family ties and such." Kushina answered.

Iruka had finally finished calling out the teams, and told them they could go for lunch. They were to meet back at their classroom to wait for their team's new Sensei. The group of six, the new team seven and eight, decided to eat in the classroom. "I wonder who our Sensei will be?" Hoshiko asked. "I don't even know that one. Kurenai-San is in Anbu now. She was my Mom's Sensei. Uncle Kakashi was my dad's, Uncle Sasuke's and Auntie Sakura's Sensei." Kushina stated. Itachi looked up at Kushina, after that comment. "I heard my father talk about Kakashi when I was little." Itachi stated. "Well there's one thing I know that you might not know about." Kushina stated. "And that is?" Itachi asked. "They were the only team he ever passed." Kushina replied. "I didn't know that. How did you find out?" Itachi asked. "I read the pass and fail scores over the last thirty years. Kakashi-San never passed a single team except for that one team. His test must be really hard." Kushina stated. "What test? We just graduated!" Keido exclaimed. "That's the trick of it. Each Jounin Sensei gives you a test to see if you're capable of being a Genin. You pass or go back to the academy on their judgement." Kushina answered. "That's not fair!" Keido stated. "Who said life was fair?" Kushina replied. "A Shinobi's life can be ended in a moment. You can't send lightweights out on missions." Kushina added. They spent the rest of their lunch in silence.

After lunch was over with the other teams showed up and sat together. Of course Team seven and Team eight sat in their original spots. One by one, Sensei's came to pick up teams. Team eight were shocked that their Sensei just happened to be Konohamaru. Team seven seemed to be waiting forever. Kushina glared at the door, as Saiyuri and Itachi looked at her. "Why is our Sensei the only late one?" Saiyuri whined, uncharacteristically. "Because he or she is a tardy asshole?" Kushina quipped. They heard the sliding door open, and turned to look at it. There stood their new Sensei.

"You shouldn't talk about your new Sensei like that Kushina." Nawaki said seriously. "Nawaki-Aniki?" Kushina questioned. "Hey its Sensei from now on kids. Don't forget that I'm the one in charge of you guys." Nawaki stated happily. "If you're in charge why are you late?" Saiyuri quipped. "Because I just got back from a week long Anbu mission and you were the last team on the list that hadn't been claimed. So I got you." Nawaki stated. A grin on his face just confirmed it. "Now come and meet me on the roof." Nawaki stated, and left the three Genin in a poof of smoke. "Awe I've been wanting to learn shunshin for ages." Saiyuri stated. "Well until you do we need to go and climb the hundred or so stairs to the roof." Kushina stated coldly. Itachi just stood up and followed the two girls out of the room.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Once they reached the roof, the three Genin sat down in front of their Sensei on a little group of stairs. Itachi sat on the right, Saiyuri sat on the left and Kushina sat in the middle. "Okay kiddies. Introduction time. Names, interests, dreams for the future? Blah blah blah?" Nawaki stated. He looked at the Genin who stayed quiet. Then he looked at Itachi. "Since you're the only boy, you can start first." Nawaki quipped. Itachi sighed and looked at Nawaki. "I'm Itachi Uchiha. My interests are training and study. My dream for the future is to restore the lost honour of my family name and to make my father proud." Itachi said softly. Nawaki looked at Itachi and nodded. He looked at Saiyuri. Saiyuri nodded before Nawaki needed to say anything.

"My name is Saiyuri Hatake. My interests are training with my family, hanging out and pranking with Kushina-Chan and reading. But I don't read those Icha Icha novels like my dad does." Saiyuri cringed at the thought of Icha Icha books. "My dream for the future is to become the best Kunoichi I can be and to join Anbu like my father and grandfather before me." Saiyuri added. Nawaki smirked and then looked at Kushina. "What about you Kushina?" Nawaki asked gently.

Kushina shrugged. "I'm Kushina Uzumaki. My interests are training and bettering myself as much as possible. I dislike anyone who can't keep up with the path they picked." Kushina stated. "My dream for the future is no one's business." Kushina added. Nawaki sighed. "Well that went well. Kushina is being really off. At least the other two might have the potential to work together as a team." Nawaki thought to himself. "Okay guys, meet me at training ground thirteen tomorrow, an hour before dawn. We're going to have a nice bit of survival training." Nawaki stated. "Oh and seeing as you've never had survival training quite like mine, don't bother to eat anything. You'll throw it all up again if you do." Nawaki added. Then he disappeared. The three students were left staring at each other.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay, that's the end of this chapter. Next chapter, obviously, there's going to be a test for the new squad, we learn a bit about Naruto and Sakura's thoughts on Sasuke's illness and we get to see an old character (or a new character depending on how you look at it) again.

Also I don't know if Kakashi's father was in Anbu. I can't actually remember, but for the sake of this fic, he was now. LOL! Also, I don't know which training ground Kakashi used with Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura originally. I can't remember what it was called, so at the moment it's Training Ground Thirteen. If I find out what it's actually called, I'll edit my chapters and give it the right name. If you got any questions, feel free to ask me. Although most of the time I use a lot of innuendo in my fics. Please R&R and I'll be updating soon.


	4. Tested

Okay the third chapter of Redemption is here. There is a reason for Kushina's weird behaviour, which will be revealed soon. I'll maybe reveal it this chapter, but if not, then next chapter. Anywho I hope you enjoy the chapter.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Redemption.

Chapter Three - Tested.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The three students were about to split and head into different directions, when Kushina stopped Saiyuri. "Saiyuri, eat breakfast tomorrow. You'll regret it if you don't." Kushina whispered. Saiyuri nodded her understanding and the group split. Saiyuri heading off in one direction, and Itachi and Kushina heading off in the other direction. As Itachi and Kushina passed the woods, Itachi glanced at the trees for a moment. "Isn't there a shortcut through there to your house Kushina?" Itachi asked frankly. "No!" Kushina yelled. Itachi blinked. "I mean it's not that much of a shortcut. Hardly worth going through there if you ask me." Kushina said more calmly. Itachi nodded and just followed on after Kushina, wondering what she didn't like about the woods.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina was sat around the dinner table with her family. Itachi was sat across from her and she looked at her father closely. He grinned widely, along with her Auntie Sakura and Uncle Sasuke. "Did you know Nawaki-Aniki was going to be our Sensei Dad?" Kushina asked coldly. "Actually that was a last minute decision. I wasn't sure about sticking you on a team with your Godbrother as a Sensei. But I figured it was the best thing to do after a lot of thought." Naruto replied. "Did you think about it in Ichiraku's Daddy?" Hinata asked. Making the table laugh. Kushina pushed her two thirds full plate away from her and looked at everyone. "I'm full. I want to go and get some sleep. We have got our squad test with Nawaki-Aniki tomorrow." Kushina said softly. She quickly left the table before waiting to be excused. "What's wrong with Nee-Chan?" Kasumi asked cutely. "I don't know sweetie." Sakura replied, looking up at the empty doorway.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina stared out of her window, waiting for what she knew was heading her way. Her high-collared, orange, long sleeved shirt rustled a little in the breeze from her open window, along with her hair. She grabbed some thick, orange pyjamas, and stalked off to the bathroom, making sure she got it before anyone else. She never noticed the eyes of Hinata following her in the hallway.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The next morning, Itachi speedily got dressed, having woken up (in his opinion) late. He pulled on a blue shirt, and white shorts, exactly like the clothing his father had worn as a child (although he didn't know it) and tied his forehead protector around his forehead. He ran downstairs, almost tripping on the last step and nearly falling flat on his face. He steadied himself and zoomed past the kitchen, but then came back and peered in, having noticed a flash of orange. He was shocked to see Kushina eating breakfast. She was wearing the same outfit that she'd worn yesterday, as well as a pair of black fingerless gloves. Her red hair was tied in a braid, and her headband was around her forehead. "Aren't we supposed to skip breakfast? Nawaki-Sensei said that-" Itachi was cut off by Kushina smirking widely at him. "He wants you to think that. Eat something now while you have the chance, trust me it will be better for you." Kushina stated as she happily ate some toast and jam. Itachi just shrugged and sat and ate with her. _"After all, she knows her Godbrother better than we do."_ Itachi thought to himself as he helped himself to some toast.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Saiyuri was buried under her quilt, glaring at her alarm clock. She reached a slender arm out from under her quilt and picked up the alarm clock with her hand, ever so gently.

Then she threw it at the wall. It shattered after a loud crash, and Saiyuri sat up in bed and pointed at her alarm clock, laughing maniacally. "Ha! That'll teach you to wake me so early you stupid alarm clock." Saiyuri exclaimed. Then she collapsed back into her bed, pulling the quilt over her head. That was, unfortunately for Saiyuri, the moment her mother burst into her room. "Saiyuri, get up. You have to go and meet your team today!" Her mother yelled at her. "HEY MOM I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!" Saiyuri heard the yelling of Sakumo, from the depths of his own bedroom.

Saiyuri groaned and sighed deeply. She crawled out from under her quilt, and slid on to the floor of her room. She hauled her body along the floor and sat up next to her bedroom door. Then she somehow, with great effort, pulled herself up and opened the door, practically oozing along the ground into the bathroom. _"I hate mornings!"_ Saiyuri thought to herself as she splashed cold water on her face to wake her up.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina and Itachi left the house, both having eaten. Kushina had grabbed some energy bars from the kitchen before they left. "Just in case Saiyuri was stupid enough to take Nawaki-Aniki-Sensei seriously." Kushina had stated as she shoved the energy bars in her pocket. Itachi shrugged. Both Itachi and Kushina walked towards the training ground that had been specified for their squad test. Passing the woods on the way.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Saiyuri had finally gotten herself dressed in her usual black dress, trimmed with pink, and one pink sleeve on the left arm. The dress had no sleeve on the right arm, but Saiyuri had white bandages tied up and down her bare arm, and wore fingerless grey gloves. She ate some porridge before she left. She recalled Kushina had said something about her needing to eat. After she ate, she brushed her silver hair tied it into a high ponytail. Then she tied her leaf headband around her head, like her father did, and left the house, after pulling on some black ninja sandals.

(A/N: If you wanna imagine Saiyuri's outfit. It's basically the same as Kurenai's in different colours and opposite with the sleeve)

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina and Itachi arrived at the training ground exactly on time. Kushina set her pack against a tree trunk and sat down on the ground, under the same tree. Itachi leaned against another tree. As they waited, they took note of Saiyuri running towards them. "Don't wear yourself out Saiyuri. Nawaki-Sensei is late." Kushina called. Saiyuri slowed down and walked over to her two teammates. "Well where the hell is he then?" She asked irritably. "God knows. He's probably going to make us wait." Kushina replied. Saiyuri and Itachi both sighed in disbelief at their tardy Sensei.

They looked around the training ground slowly, and took note that there was some wooded area, and the middle of the field had three stumps in the ground, placed in a row next to each other. None of them realised that their fathers had already trained here before them.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Nawaki was eating a good breakfast. Tsunade and Jiraiya stared at him, as Mayumi just went to the fridge to get a glass of juice. That was when she noticed her brother. "Didn't he tell his new team he was going to meet them an hour before dawn?" Mayumi asked. "He did tell them that." Tsunade replied as her son bluntly ignored the conversation. "It's nine o clock Mom?" Mayumi stated. "He's obviously decided to keep them waiting. God knows what for." Tsunade replied. "It's the bell test. Starve the brats then attempt to get them to work against each other." Jiraiya stated. "That is so cruel. Naruto-Sensei used that on us." Mayumi stated. "Yeap, and Kakashi used it on him, Sakura and Sasuke. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, Naruto's father, used it on Kakashi and his teammates. I used it on Minato and his teammates. Mine and your mother's Sensei, The Third Hokage, used it on us. It's a good test. It works." Jiraiya lectured. "I lost you at Sakumo's Dad." Mayumi stated, as she stole a piece of toast from her brother's plate. Nawaki glared at her as she bit into it ravenously and grinned as she ran out of the door. Leaving her empty juice glass on the counter.

"Don't you think you'd better be meeting your team now? You've had them waiting for at least four hours now." Tsunade asked. Nawaki smirked and got out of his seat. "Don't worry Ma. They'll thank me for it. It's patience building after all." Nawaki stated as he left the room. A few moments later, they heard the door shut behind their son. Jiraiya grinned at Tsunade. "Look at our boy! All grown up and torturing his students!" Jiraiya exclaimed happily. Tsunade slapped a hand to her forehead in exasperation.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto was sat in his office signing papers and gnawing away at his lip, trying not to think of all the strange things that had been happening lately. Sasuke coming back to the village. Finding out Sasuke was sick. Kushina's odd behaviour. He had noticed his eldest child behaving strangely for a while. Even before her graduation exam. She'd become distant from all the people she cared about. Her behaviour was getting stranger by the day, and Naruto couldn't figure it out. Then Sasuke coming back and being ill enough that he was on the verge of death was something Naruto felt he couldn't cope with. He was praying in his mind that Tsunade would find some miracle cure. He knew if anyone could, it would be her. That didn't stop him worrying. He was alone with his thoughts and sometimes the very idea of that fact was something Naruto hated.

He wasn't left alone for long when a knock came at the door. "Come in." Naruto called again. The door opened to reveal Sakura. She looked downhearted. "What's wrong Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked. She gave him a small smile. "I'm worried. All this waiting, hoping and trying to get Sasuke back and he's so ill." Sakura said softly. Naruto nodded. He knew he would need to reassure Sakura, as much for himself as for her. "I don't like that he's ill, but unless he can tell us how he became ill there isn't much we can do to help him. Just hope that Baa-Chan will find a way." Naruto said. "It's just not fair." Sakura stated. Naruto nodded. "I know. But all we can do is hope and pray that Sasuke will be fine." Naruto quipped. "You have a lot of faith Naruto." Sakura mused. Naruto smiled. "Yeah I have to have faith. If I didn't, I would never have become Hokage." Naruto replied. "There's something else I'm worried about." Sakura said pointedly. "Kushina?" Naruto questioned. Sakura nodded. "I don't know what's been happening to her lately. I know she never called me Mom. I never expected her to. But lately she's been so cold to me. I just don't know what to say to her. Nothing I say is ever welcome. Even if I ask her if she's hungry, she'll just mutter out a no and leave the house. I don't even know where she goes." Sakura said sadly.

Naruto bit his lip. "I'm worried too. She's been getting distant since before the graduation exams. Apparently she doesn't go to Ichiraku's anymore from what people tell me. She doesn't train with Hinata anymore. I already knew she wasn't eating a lot. I just see her watching the others train from her bedroom window." Naruto stated. "I don't know what to do Naruto. I've tried finding out why she's so cold all the time now. But she never says anything. She always says she's fine and just... clams up." Sakura practically sobbed. Her worry was evident. Naruto couldn't even comprehend what was wrong with his eldest child. He knew he wanted to find out.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Saiyuri and Itachi were pacing around waiting for their Sensei. Kushina was sitting silently leaning against her tree and ignoring her teammates moving around. That was when their Sensei showed up. "YOU'RE LATE!" Itachi and Saiyuri yelled simultaneously. Kushina just glared. "Really? I must've slept in." Nawaki stated. That made his three students glare at him even more. "Well, since we're off to such a great start let's get on with your squad test." Nawaki stated. "Hey, we just graduated and you're giving us more tests?" Saiyuri yelled. Although she was more prepared by Kushina's comments the day before. "Of course. After all, out of however many team squads graduate, only three squads can pass on to become Genin squads. Those that don't get to go back to the academy." Nawaki stated. He pulled out two bells from his shuriken pouch. "It's your mission to get one of these bells from me. If you don't get one, you fail and you go back to the academy." Nawaki stated. Kushina rolled her eyes and stood up from her spot, leaning against the tree.

"Okay, you've got until noon. Oh and one more added incentive, if you don't get a bell by lunch, you won't get any lunch, and I'll tie you to those stumps there and let you watch me eat _my_ lunch." Nawaki said evilly. Saiyuri and Itachi were both thanking Kushina silently in their minds at that moment. "Doesn't that mean that one of us will fail anyway?" Itachi asked. "Yeap. That's how it works. Have fun with that. It's just as likely that you'll all be sent back to the academy." Nawaki stated.

Itachi, Saiyuri and Kushina all disappeared into the trees, leaving Nawaki alone to think. _"This should be fun."_ Nawaki thought to himself, as he pulled out an Icha Icha book.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke was sat in Tsunade's office in the hospital being X-rayed. He didn't like the look on her face. "Sasuke, this kind of illness can be cured only one way. By transferring it to someone else. It's a strange kind of virus that can be removed like a poison. But it would need to go into something else. If the subject is too weak, the poisonous nature of this thing would escape and kill others. Do you have any clue how something like this could have gotten into your body?" Tsunade asked. Sasuke bit his lip angrily. "I think so." Sasuke replied. He started to tell Tsunade what he knew. "When I got to Orochimaru's Lair, something really weird did happen." Sasuke said softly.

xXxXxXx FLASHBACK xXxXxXx

Sasuke walked along the underground corridors of Orochimaru's lair. Unfazed by the darkness of the place now, he walked around unhindered. He bumped into Orochimaru and Kabuto. "We were just looking for you Sasuke-Kun." Orochimaru hissed out creepily. "What for?" Sasuke asked coldly. "We need to check on the status of your health and such now you're here." Kabuto replied. "I'm perfectly healthy." Sasuke replied. "It's just a check up. You aren't scared of a check up are you Sasuke-Kun?" Kabuto asked. Sasuke glared and walked along with the two males to a lab. "Please sit on the table Sasuke-Kun." Kabuto stated. Sasuke glared as he went to sit on the examination table. All of a sudden he felt a pinprick in the back of his neck and everything went black.

When he woke up he sat up groggily and looked down to see a scar on his left leg. "So Kabuto he won't be able to escape now." Sasuke heard Orochimaru ask. "No Orochimaru-Sama. It's just as you ordered." Kabuto replied. Sasuke felt nervous of the whole idea, and wondered what had been placed inside his body exactly.

xXxXxXx END FLASHBACK xXxXxXx

Tsunade nodded and bit her lip. "I'm going to go and get the X-rays developed. We'll soon see what was placed in your leg." Tsunade said softly. Sasuke nodded understanding and Tsunade left. _"I wonder how Itachi is doing?"_ Sasuke thought to himself.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi looked at Saiyuri and Kushina steadily. They had all gone off in different directions, but Kushina had found him and Saiyuri within a few minutes. "To pass this test we need to work as a team." Kushina stated plainly. "What do you suggest Kushina?" Saiyuri asked. "We need to let Nawaki-Sensei think that we've fallen for his plan for now. He's expecting us to attack him solo. So let's attempt it and see what he's capable of first. Then we can at least formulate some form of strategy." Kushina replied. "I'll go first." Itachi offered. "Okay Itachi. Saiyuri, you go next and I'll go last. Have you activated Sharingan yet Itachi?" Kushina asked. "No. Not yet." Itachi said softly. "I've got Byakugan, but I'm not perfect with it yet. If I use it too much my whole head hurts. But I'll learn it in time." Kushina stated. "Who told you that?" Saiyuri asked. "My mother wrote a diary about activating the Byakugan bloodline. I read it when I was looking through some of her things." Kushina said softly. Itachi and Saiyuri didn't ask any more questions about the subject.

Itachi got up and charged out of the wooded area. He attacked headfirst, charging in directly. Nawaki-Sensei didn't even try as he blocked the attacks of his male student. Itachi glared fiercely. "You've got to come at me with the intent to kill, or you're not going to succeed." Nawaki said blankly. Itachi leapt backward and made some handsigns. Nawaki's eyes widened. "Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Itachi yelled as he spurted the little fireballs from his mouth. Nawaki dodged very quickly. _"Guess I need to take you kids seriously. I keep forgetting who your parents are."_ Nawaki thought to himself, as Itachi made more handsigns. "Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Itachi called out. Then released a huge fireball from his lungs.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tsunade came back into the room, where Sasuke was lazing on the examination table. She didn't look happy in the least. "What did you find?" Sasuke asked. "There's a small canister in your leg. It's so minute that any other healer wouldn't have spotted it. I'm observant so I would've found it sooner or later." Tsunade stated. "What is it?" Sasuke asked. "It's a deadly poisonous virus. It was generated by Kabuto and Orochimaru obviously, so that if you betrayed Orochimaru, which you have, they could activate it. After you killed Orochimaru, Kabuto must have activated it." Tsunade stated formally. "So I'm finished unless I can give this thing to someone else." Sasuke commented bitterly. "I can give you medicine that will slow it down a lot. But I can't get rid of it. So yeah, eventually, you'll die from it. If there's an antidote, Kabuto will be sure to have it. But I doubt he'd give it to us. Even if we could find him." Tsunade commented sadly. Sasuke nodded his understanding.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi was quickly thrown away from Nawaki and Saiyuri took her chance. She made the hand signs for Raikiri and soon the glowing electric ball was in her hand and she charged with it at Nawaki. All this time, Itachi and Kushina watched, just as Saiyuri and Kushina had watched Itachi's little bout. Just to get tips on their Sensei. Saiyuri was grabbed by the wrist and thrown into a tree, where her Raikiri made a huge hole straight through it. Saiyuri felt rough as she pulled herself up from the ground.

That was when Kushina made her entrance. She made a Rasengan and leapt downwards from a tree at her Sensei. Nawaki dodged and tried to get away from Kushina's speedy volleys of kicks and punches, while she kept trying to pummel Rasengans through his chest and stomach. _"Well I did tell them to attack me with the intent to kill."_ Nawaki thought to himself bitterly as he barely dodged one well-aimed Rasengan.

After a while, Kushina noted that Nawaki was a lot faster and stronger then she had anticipated. She found herself thinking of a strategy. She knew she had to implement it soon. It was already half-twelve, by the way the sun stood in the sky, and at one, she knew that they failed. She stood back and waited for her teammates to come to her side.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto found himself doing paperwork again. Sakura had left and he'd tried to get his mind off of what she'd said all morning. There was a soft knock at the door then. "Come in." Naruto called out, as he signed another document. He looked up from the paper when he heard the door open, and saw Hinata. "Hey sunflower, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the academy?" Naruto asked his second born child earnestly. "It's lunchtime. I just wanted to talk to you Daddy." She said softly. "Okay, come and sit down then." Naruto said, gesturing to one of the many seats in the office. Hinata grabbed one and bought it over to sit next to her father. "Daddy have you noticed that Kushina Nee-Chan is acting really weird lately?" Hinata asked softly. Naruto sighed deeply. He knew this would happen sooner or later. He'd noticed, Sakura had noticed, it was only a matter of time before Hinata noticed. She was as perceptive, if not more so, then her mother had been. "We've all noticed sweetie. She's just becoming a young lady now. It's all the hormone stuff you all talk about in Iruka-Sensei's biology lessons." Naruto said kindly. He hoped that Hinata would leave it at that. He didn't want his ten year old daughter to worry about her older sister. Hinata giggled a little at his comment. Then her face turned serious again. "I don't think it is that though Daddy. I think something's really wrong with Nee-Chan. She's not acting like herself at all. She doesn't eat her food properly, or go to Ichiraku's anymore. She doesn't even train with me anymore. She just stays in her room all the time. I see her watching out of the window, and she always looks angry Daddy. Whenever Mommy asks her a question she goes all cold. Haven't you noticed?" Hinata almost begged. Her pale lavender eyes brimmed with tears.

Naruto sighed again. "I know Hinata. I'm trying to figure out what's going on with your sister. I'm hoping it's just a phase. But you come and tell me if anything else is wrong okay?" Naruto asked. Hinata nodded. She knew what her father meant. If Kushina did anything that might be considered bad, to come and tell him. Hinata hopped off of the chair and made to leave the room. "Hinata?" Naruto called her. She turned and looked at her Father curiously. "I know you're worried about Kushina. But don't worry. I think whatever it is that's bugging her she'll come and tell us when she's ready." Naruto said. Hinata nodded and left the room, leaving Naruto to his thoughts once again.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi and Saiyuri came and stood next to Kushina. Nawaki was confused, as to what his new students were planning. Kushina smirked at Nawaki evilly. He saw the smirk and was prepared for an attack. Instead Kushina gave a bright smile that almost reached her eyes. "Well Sensei, you've had an unfair advantage over us." Kushina stated boldly. "That was obvious from the start of this exercise. I'm a Jounin. You're Genin." Nawaki quipped. Kushina kept smiling. "Well there is that. But there is something else Sensei. You see you had us tell you about ourselves, and you didn't tell us anything about you." Kushina said sweetly. "You know this is wasting your time." Nawaki replied. "But it's our time Sensei? Right?" Saiyuri asked, playing along. "Of course. But how would telling you about myself make any difference to your situation? You only have half an hour to get the bells. Not even that?" Nawaki asked. "Well it depends on what you tell us Sensei." Itachi quipped, also playing along with whatever plan Kushina had. "Fine if you have to be awkward about it. My name is Nawaki, you guys call me Nawaki-Sensei. My Interests are nobody's business, and my dream for the future is to master the sage style like my father and Godfather." Nawaki reeled off.

He heard the ringing of bells, about two feet behind him. He turned around and was met with a shadow clone of Kushina smirking at him. Then the clone ran to the side of Nawaki and threw the bells to the real Kushina, just as Nawaki punched the clone out of existence. Kushina gave one bell to Saiyuri and the other bell to Itachi. Nawaki glared. "Did your father tell you what this test was all about?" Nawaki asked. "No, even though I asked him. But I figured seeing as you all go on about teamwork so much, that it must be something to do with that." Kushina replied stoically. Nawaki sighed. "Alright you guys pass. You did work as a team. I guess that means you all get lunch." Nawaki stated. "I didn't even get to tie anyone to the stump." Nawaki grumbled. "Serves you right for making us wait four and a half hours Sensei!" Saiyuri yelled. "I might just tie you to the stump for loudness if you don't stop yelling for a sec Saiyuri." Nawaki stated. Saiyuri blinked as Itachi and Kushina smirked next to her.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina arrived home with Itachi. She immediately climbed the stairs to her room without saying a word to Sakura, who was in the hall when they came in. Sakura sighed and went back to the kitchen. Neither Sakura nor Itachi, noticed Kasumi climb the stairs. The four year old clambered up the stairs and walked over to Kushina's closed door.

She knocked tentatively. "Nee-Chan can I come in?" She called. "No." Kushina called back coldly. "Please Nee-Chan? I wanna sit wid you for a little while." Kasumi called out. Sasuke watched from the shadows of the hallway, as Kushina opened her door and glared at her four year old, half sister. "Go away Kasumi. I've got better things to do then to play with kids." Kushina hissed and then slammed her door. The four year old child started crying. Sasuke walked forward and picked up the little girl. "Nee-Chan's being so mean Unca Sasuke! Why is she being mean? Wads wrong wid her?" Kasumi wailed. Sasuke hugged the crying child, trying to offer some form of comfort. "I don't know Kasumi. I wish I could tell you." Sasuke said softly, as he carried the four year old down the stairs.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi was sitting on the porch of the house, cleaning his ninja tools and thinking to himself. He felt someone sit next to him, and saw it was his father. "What's wrong Father?" Itachi asked. "Something is wrong with Kushina." His father told him sternly. "I want you to keep an eye on her and make sure she's alright. That she's not in any trouble." His father added. Itachi nodded. "I understand Father." Itachi replied.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke left Itachi cleaning his weapons, and went inside. He saw Sakura with Little Naruto and Sasuke, who were playing happily together. Kasumi wasn't there. Hikari was seven, and Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura had just gone to enrol her in the academy. "Hey Sasuke." Sakura said kindly. The two boys looked up at Sasuke expectantly. "Daddy, you gonna play wid us?" Little Naruto asked cutely. "Yeah Unca Sasuke!" Little Sasuke added. "Maybe later boys." Sasuke replied. The two nodded happily, and continued playing their own game. What game it was, Sasuke couldn't figure it out at all. It was like the two year old boys had a language and state of play all their own, as they sat their babbling contentedly.

Sakura got up from where she'd been sitting, and walked over to Sasuke. "What's wrong?" She asked him. "Where's Kasumi?" Sasuke asked. "She's in the garden on the tree swing. She seems really unhappy today. I've tried asking her what's wrong but she won't tell me at all." Sakura said softly. "Something is off with Kushina." Sasuke stated boldly. "I know. She's not been acting like herself for a while." Sakura replied. "Is she usually hateful towards Kasumi?" Sasuke asked sharply. Sakura's eyes went wide. "No. She's never once said an unkind word to Kasumi, or Sasuke or Hinata. She loves them. She'd do anything to make them happy." Sakura stated. "Well she was rather cruel to Kasumi today." Sasuke quipped. "What do you mean?" Sakura asked. Sasuke went on to explain what he'd witnessed earlier on and all the blood drained from Sakura's face. "She's never been like that before. I don't know what's wrong with her." Sakura said softly. "When did she start acting this way?" Sasuke asked. "I'm not sure exactly when I noticed she was changing. But it was before graduation. I know that much. After graduation she changed drastically. I just... I wish I knew what she was thinking. I wish I could tell what was wrong." Sakura said softly. "I'm going to go and try to talk to her." Sakura added. She went to go upstairs and Sasuke sighed. _"I don't know if this is something you can deal with Sakura."_ Sasuke thought to himself.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina glared as her door opened after a couple of knocks. There was Sakura looking at her. "Kushina are you okay?" Sakura asked. "Why shouldn't I be?" Kushina shot back. "Because it's not like you to be cruel to your baby sister. It's not like you to be cruel to anyone." Sakura stated. "Maybe you don't know me as well as you _think_ you do." Kushina shot back venomously. "What are you talking about Kushina?" Sakura asked. Kushina glared at the shock on Sakura's face and got up from her bed, where she'd been sitting. "I'm going out." Kushina stated coldly. "Where are you going?" Sakura asked softly. "Saiyuri's. I'll be back before nine." Kushina stated fiercely, before barging past Sakura and down the stairs. Sakura sighed deeply, and wished she could read the girl's mind.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kakashi felt rather offended when Saiyuri told him about her bell test. "I made it difficult to pass and Nawaki ruined my torturous masterpiece." Kakashi stated blandly, looking forlorn. "But Dad, Kushina is smarter than most of us Genin. She just figures everything out quickly. It might not even be Sensei's fault. Although he did give her a huge gaping opening to distract from." Saiyuri said, causing Kakashi to sigh in defeat.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina rubbed at her neck absently as she walked along the streets. _"What's wrong with me? Why am I trying to hurt everyone? Why did I shout at Kasumi like that? What the hell is wrong with me?"_ Kushina let the questions go through her head over and over and over again as she walked into one of the many wooded areas in Konoha.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi had explained the bell test to everyone at dinner. Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura were all shocked. "Well consider yourselves lucky. We actually listened to Kakashi-Sensei." Sakura stated. This statement made everyone laugh loudly. "Where's Kushina?" Naruto asked. "She said she was going to see Saiyuri, and she told me she'd be back before nine." Sakura said sadly. Naruto looked at the empty place at the table, wondering, not for the first time that day, what was going on with his eldest child?

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina was sat in the training grounds. She'd taken a place sitting in a tree. She rubbed at her neck angrily. That was when someone appeared in front of her, standing on the tree branch. Kushina growled angrily at the hooded intruder. "Kushina-Kun, why are you so angry to see me? I thought you liked hearing the truth?" The hooded stranger stated. "Why should I believe you're telling me the truth?" Kushina hissed. "Why should I believe that my father never loved my mother? Why should I believe that Auntie Sakura hated my mother? I can't believe that!" Kushina exclaimed. "It's all true. Ask your father's friend Sasuke. He knows your father loved Sakura from childhood. He didn't even notice your mother. She was just a consolation prize for him." The hooded stranger stated. "Go away and leave me alone!" Kushina yelled.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, you've got my mark now Kushina-Kun." The stranger stated plainly. Kushina's hand shook as it reached her neck. When she pulled down the high collar, a heaven curse mark, exactly like Sasuke's, was visible on her neck. She covered that spot angrily. "I didn't ask for this!" Kushina exclaimed. "Of course not. You're powerful Kushina-Kun. I can teach you many things. Things that will make you powerful. Things that will allow you to wreak revenge on those people who wronged your mother." The male voice stated. "SHUT UP!" Kushina yelled furiously. "I'll go for now. But soon you'll come to find me Kushina-Kun. I'm in Otogakure and soon you'll seek me out, for the power you need. I bet you've already started hating them. Your Father, your precious Auntie Sakura, your brother and sisters. I bet that even your best friends are thinking there's something wrong with you. Sooner or later you'll hurt them. Then there won't be any turning back." The stranger stated. "Who are you?" Kushina whispered. "Why did you do this to me?" She almost begged. "Because you're the strongest Genin. The strongest Ninja I've seen for a long time." The stranger stated. He pulled down his hood, and Kushina gasped in shock and horror.

One side of the man's face had long black hair, paper-white skin, and snake like features. The other half of his face had a relatively normal complexion, long silver hair and half a pair of glasses. Kushina felt anger, hate and fear boil inside her. The pain of the mark on her shoulder increased. She had been feeling it strongly ever since she'd been given it. "You will come looking for me child. You'll be compelled to. The mark will compel you to come to me eventually. When you're ready, you'll destroy those pathetic teammates, shun your family and arrive in Oto ready to be my student." The snakelike side of the man stated. Then he left.

Kushina felt the mark on her neck burning. She just about managed to get down from the tree before another wave of pain hit and she leant against it, remembering exactly how she got the mark in the first place.

xXxXxXx FLASHBACK xXxXxXx

Kushina was walking home from the academy. Her bright red hair was loose and floating in the wind as she ran along the streets. _"I got all A's. My last report card before graduation has all A's."_ Kushina thought brightly as she ran past people. _"I'll take the shortcut through the woods to get home, and then I can show Auntie Sakura and Daddy my report card faster."_ Kushina thought to herself. She carried on running and turned off into the woods. She didn't get far before she heard a whizzing sound. A shuriken flew past her, cutting her shoulder, and tearing her black t-shirt. She held on to her shoulder and glared around, as she looked for a clue as to where her assailant might be. That was when a hooded figure stepped out from seemingly nowhere.

"Who are you?" Kushina hissed. "I'm a friend Kushina-Kun." The figure said. "How are you a friend?" Kushina yelled. "I'll tell you the truth that your father wants to hide from you." The stranger said. His voice sounded snakelike, and Kushina didn't like how that made her feel at all. She pulled out a shuriken from her own pouch. "Get lost or you'll have one less eye today." Kushina stated calmly. "Did you know that your Father never loved your mother at all?" The stranger hissed out. Kushina felt herself shaking. "That's not true! My Dad loved my Mom. He grieved for years over her death." Kushina hissed. "Maybe he felt guilty for marrying her when he didn't love her." The stranger stated. Kushina felt burning anger boil in her blood as she stared at this stranger. "Who are you to say anything? You don't even know my parents!" Kushina yelled. She ran forward, pulling a kunai out of her kunai holder and made to stab the stranger in the neck, but surprisingly, the stranger grabbed her wrist, holding her in the air by her arm. His head moved and she felt something clamp down on her neck, as though she was being bitten.

Her eyes went wide as unbelievable pain attacked her whole body. She made to scream, but a hand clamped down over her mouth, muffling her scream. All her muscles were paralysed, and she couldn't move. She could feel her body convulsing, but she wasn't sure what was making this happen. The stranger moved her to lay down on the ground. Then he stood up. She didn't see his face. She couldn't move her body at all. "Now you have my mark, sweet Kushina-Kun. You'll hate, and seethe and boil with anger. You'll strike out at everyone you love. When you finally kill someone, you'll belong to me. You'll be so filled with darkness that you won't be able to stop yourself looking for me, for power." The stranger stated. Then he left her there.

xXxXxXx END FLASHBACK xXxXxXx

Kushina remembered that she'd lain there until quite late, when the pain finally managed to ebb away, and then she had gone home. Her Father and Sakura had been so angry that she'd arrived home at one in the morning. They'd been out searching for her. For some reason she didn't tell them about the strange man that had bitten her. She just said she'd fallen asleep in the woods, looking at the clouds, and when she finally woke it was dark, and she didn't know what the time was. Of course, her father and Sakura had forgiven her, and worried that she was working too hard at the Academy. She never did show them her report card.

After that she'd had many visits from the stranger, who kept trying to goad her into a fight, or to leave with him. She'd managed up until now to keep herself in line. When she graduated, she felt this wave of hatred well up within her, and she had been unable to control it since. It was getting out of control.

Kushina felt the pain ebbing away. _"I have to go home now. I'm probably late."_ Kushina thought to herself. She walked home, wishing with all her heart that she didn't feel so full of hatred.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

When Kushina finally arrived home, she had just taken off her ninja sandals, when her Father and Sakura confronted her. "Kushina where have you been? It's nearly eleven!" Sakura asked. "I'm sorry I'm late I didn't realise the time." Kushina hissed out. Sakura looked at her with concern. "Are you alright Kushina? You look like you're in pain. Have you got injured?" Sakura asked softly. She made to put her hand on Kushina's neck, and Kushina pulled away instantly. "What's wrong with you Kushina? You're not acting like yourself." Her Father asked her. _"How can I tell him what's really wrong with me?"_ Kushina thought. "I just lost track of time Dad. What's the problem?" Kushina spat out angrily. Her mark was starting to hurt again, which meant that the man was nearby. "Kushina you don't usually talk to your Father with attitude like that!" Sakura exclaimed. "Just leave me alone will you!" Kushina yelled and ran off upstairs. Leaving both Sakura and her Father to what she knew would be a sleepless night. But right now, her blood boiled with hate and she didn't even care, as she entered her bedroom and lay down on her bed. Soon she was in a dreamless sleep.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay everyone. I hope you all liked this chapter. I did reveal Kushina's reasons for her weird behaviour, slightly, as for anything else you'll have to wait and see when I update next week.

As a side note, I will be updating next week. But I will not be updating from the fourth to the eighteenth of May as I will be in Spain. Ya see I love writing but I saved my meagre funds and paid to take my dear mother away to Spain for her birthday. So while I'll still be writing like a nutcase (my laptop goes everywhere) I won't be able to update till I'm back in merry old London.

Oh and just for referance if you can't guess who the creepy guy near the end of this chappie is, then you obviously don't read Naruto Manga. But that's fair enough anyways. Anywho, any questions, feel free to ask me in a review or PM. Bye for now everyone I'll be updating soon.


	5. Mission

Okay, thanks to all of you who read and reviewed and such. Here's the next chapter of Redemption ready for y'all to hate or love.

And to my anonymous reviewer blueberry. I am considering a painful death for Kabuto. Not sure quite how it's all going to work exactly.

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Redemption.

Chapter Four – Mission.

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The weeks passed, and Kushina left and went for long walks. She never told anyone where she was disappearing to. She would arrive home looking pale. Sometimes her expression was pained, but if anyone asked her she'd tell them all to leave her alone. It had been a month since Kushina had come home late. Team seven were working on clearing out the river. A regular D Rank mission. As usual, Saiyuri and Itachi were complaining. "Just why I signed up to be a Ninja, so I could help fat old ladies find their abused, squashed cats, and to labour cleaning rivers!" Saiyuri exclaimed sarcastically. "Don't be rude about the Daimiyo's wife. That and everyone starts with D rank missions Saiyuri. Even your fathers all started with these types of missions." Nawaki stated plainly. "Yeah we get it Sensei, it's still boring though." Itachi grumbled. Kushina just smirked and carried on with her work. Her long hair was once again in a braid. "Sensei, give us a break! Can't we get a C rank mission soon?" Saiyuri asked sadly. Nawaki rolled his eyes. "When I and Hokage-Sama think you're ready." Nawaki stated.

Kushina, although she wouldn't admit it, had started liking these missions with her team. She'd been friends with Saiyuri for a long time. But she was starting to like Itachi and his happier, yet serious personality. He was becoming a friend. She looked at her team and almost wished she could tell them what her problem was. She didn't. She kept the problem to herself. Every night that she went out, she seemed to have an encounter with the strange creature-like male. The last time she'd spoken to him, it scared her more than a little bit.

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Kushina was sitting on the ground, leaning against another tree. She tried not to stay in the same place for long, but he always found her. She sometimes wondered about the capabilities of her Father's Anbu. But then she also wondered if all of this wasn't just some sort of horrible nightmare. The man came and went as he pleased and she was the only one who ever saw him. Tonight was no different.

"Kushina-Kun. You and Itachi are good friends now?" The man said. Kushina felt her skin crawl. "Itachi has nothing to do with you. Leave him out of it bastard!" Kushina yelled. "But why? Do you have a little crush on him? Why don't you ask him to come with you when you finally decide to come to Oto?" The male questioned. "Go away. I don't want anything to do with you." Kushina hissed. "If that were true you wouldn't come out walking in the woods every night. You make that choice." The man hissed to her. "It's not my fault you stalk me and I'm not going to do what you want me to do. I love my family. I care about my friends. I'll never betray them for power." Kushina hissed back. She felt her mark burn. She clutched her shoulder, hissing at the pain. "You see it thrives on your pain and misery. It would be your friend if you accepted it instead of trying to fight it." The man said.

Kushina got up from her seat on the ground shakily. "I hate you!" She hissed. The pain receded a little. "See? All you have to do is hate. That Itachi seems to be taking your place in your family quite well. Leaving with me won't hurt them if they don't miss you in the first place." The man stated. "Go away you bastard! My family care about me. They wouldn't spend all their time trying to figure out what's wrong with me if they hated me!" Kushina yelled. "No, they just want to take away your power. Your freedom is something that isn't allowed in Konoha. You're a Shinobi you're supposed to represent your village right? If you came with me, you wouldn't have to worry. You could even bring those two friends of yours." The man stated. Kushina felt her mind considering the option. She despised herself for it. "I will _never_ join you." Kushina spat out. "You won't have a choice. You think when they all find out about my mark that you'll be free. You'll be imprisoned by Anbu. They'll torture you for information. They'll probably kill you in the end. When you look at your precious family, they'll be saying how it's for the good of the village. Your friends will cheer at your execution. So go ahead, and tell them about your mark. It's your funeral." The man hissed. "I will tell them!" She stated angrily. She walked away. Hunched over by the pain of the mark.

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She hadn't told anyone. She was frightened that maybe the man was right, and she despised that she thought like that. Kushina hated how the man seemed to know everything about her. She hated that her own mind wasn't obeying her anymore. Her emotions didn't seem to be hers to control now. She heard a yelp from the side of her, and saw that Itachi had slipped somehow, and was now being swept downstream. Before anyone else could react, she had jumped up onto the river bank, ran along the side, and used ninja wire to dangle herself over the edge of the waterfall, and catch hold of Itachi's foot.

"Baka." Kushina taunted. "Shut up Gaki!" Itachi yelled. Kushina smirked and reeled herself upwards with her ninja wire, keeping hold of Itachi the whole time.

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Naruto saw his daughter's team standing in front of him. "Okay you guys, you have several missions to choose from." Naruto stated. "You can go and find To-" He got cut off by Saiyuri. "If you send us to go find that damn cat again, with all due respect _Hokage-Sama_, I'll murder the thing and then the client, then you, in precisely that order." Saiyuri stated. Naruto blinked. "I had to go and find the cat too when I was your age. How long has that thing been alive?" Naruto asked Iruka, who was sat next to him. "About sixty years?" Iruka questioned himself. "That thing should be dead! What kind of cat lives for sixty years?" Naruto whispered. Iruka shrugged. "Well there's always gardening, or babysitting the head councillors children." Naruto stated. "Oh come on Uncle Naruto! Give us a real mission!" Itachi exclaimed loudly. "Stop being a brat Itachi. Everyone went on boring missions when they started out." Nawaki said. "So? That doesn't mean anything Nawaki-Sensei! How can we prove ourselves if you don't give us the chance to?" Itachi stated loudly. Nawaki sighed. _"He does have a point."_ Nawaki thought to himself. Naruto smirked at Itachi's comments.

"Okay, so you wanna prove yourself Itachi?" Naruto asked. Itachi nodded. "Well maybe I can give you guys a C mission." Naruto said. He took a look at the list. "Well there's an escort mission. You're gonna escort an old friend of mine to the Land of Waves and make sure he doesn't get robbed. Think you can handle it?" Naruto asked. The three Genin nodded excitedly. Even Kushina felt bored doing all the D ranks. "Okay, send Inari in!" Naruto called.

The Inari that walked in, whom Naruto had once known as a child, was now an adult. He was tall and muscular and wore a pair of grey pants, and a black muscle top. He wore his same old hat on his head. He grinned at Naruto, who stood up to greet him. The two men clasped hands and greeted each other warmly. "Hey Naruto! It's been ages. How's Sakura and Sasuke? And your Sensei Kakashi?" Inari asked enthusiastically. "Well, Sakura and I are married now. Sasuke's around here somewhere." Naruto stated in amusement. Inari smirked. "Well who's guarding me then?" Inari asked. "Well this is the new Team seven. My daughter Kushina, Sasuke's son Itachi and Kakashi-Sensei's daughter Saiyuri are the team members. And this is Nawaki, their Sensei." Naruto pointed at each on in turn. Inari nodded. "You really need to come and visit some time Naruto. My grandpa told me to ask how you're all doing. No one ever forgot what you all did for us in the Land of Waves." Inari said proudly. "What did they do?" Itachi asked. "Well I'll tell you the story on the way." Inari said. Nawaki grinned at his students. "You've got an hour to pack and be at the gates. That's when we leave. Don't be late." Nawaki stated and he disappeared. Saiyuri and Itachi glared. "He's always late, how can he be such a hypocrite?" Itachi stated. Kushina didn't say a word.

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Saiyuri was packing some necessities into a khaki coloured pack when she heard her door open. She looked up to see her father. "Hey Dad." Saiyuri said happily. Her father walked over to her and hugged her tightly. "You be careful on your mission Saiyuri. Listen to your Sensei and try not to argue with anyone." Her father said kindly. He let go of her, and Saiyuri looked up at him, blinking in confusion. "Are you that worried Dad?" Saiyuri asked. Her father shrugged. "I remember when I took a mission to the land of Waves. It was my team's first C Rank mission. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were all very psyched for it. That didn't stop it turning dangerous very quickly." Her father replied. Saiyuri could only ever see one of her father's eyes but she could see the deep worry that shone through. Saiyuri grinned widely and threw her arms around her father's waist, and hugged him tightly. "I'll be back Dad. This is a routine mission. It's just guard duty so I'll be fine. Besides, Kushina and Itachi are so blood thirsty to fight I probably won't even get my hands dirty." Saiyuri stated cheerfully. She felt her father hug her back. "Never underestimate the situation Saiyuri. Just remember to keep your guard up." He said softly. Saiyuri nodded. "I'm gonna go and find Sakumo and Tenshi before I leave Dad. Where's Mom?" Saiyuri asked. "She's just come back from a mission." Her father said honestly. "I'll be back before you know it Dad." Saiyuri said cheerfully as she left her room.

She ran down the stairs, barefoot, and straight into her mother. Both of them tumbled over madly down the last three steps. Saiyuri gave a sheepish smile as her mother glared slightly. "Saiyuri, why do you feel the need to kill me when I've just got back from a mission?" Her mother stated calmly. Saiyuri knew better. Her mother was a master of deception, especially where her temper was concerned. "Hehe, sorry Mom. I just wanted to catch you before you left to see Uncle Naruto. I've got a C rank mission so my team is setting out soon. I wanted to say bye?" Saiyuri said cutely. Her mother's calm demeanour faded to a worried one. "Listen to your Sensei, and don't take unnecessary risks Saiyuri." Her mother stated sternly. "Dad already said all this Mom. I'll be back soon anyways." Saiyuri said softly. The pair were still sitting on the ground at the bottom of the stairs. Saiyuri felt her mother's arms go around her gently. "Just be careful Saiyuri." Her mother uttered. Saiyuri hugged her mother back. _"Wow they all feel the need to hug me today. That's a change."_ Saiyuri thought to herself, as her mother finally let go of her. Both females got up from the floor and Saiyuri grinned widely. "Where's Sakumo-Aniki?" Saiyuri asked. "At his usual training ground with Mayumi and Dan." Her mother replied. "Thanks Mom. I'll see you soon." Saiyuri said. Then she threw on her sandals at the door and ran out, her pack hanging limply from her hand as she ran.

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Kakashi came downstairs, to see Anko staring out of the window in a daze. "She'll be alright Anko. Nawaki is her Sensei and she's got Kushina and Itachi on her team." Kakashi said softly, almost to reassure himself as well as Anko. Anko nodded. "I know. It's just... I never expected her to be an adult so quick. You know, she's always acted like a big kid. Now she's a full-fledged Kunoichi, leaving the village on her first C rank." Anko said sadly. "Oh so that's what's bothering you? Your baby's all grown up?" Kakashi teased. Anko glared at Kakashi's tone. "I'm serious Kakashi. And don't tell me that you're not worried about her too. I remember hearing about the first C rank you took your Genin squad on. It wasn't pretty." Anko stated. "I know. But I'm sure that they'll all be fine. Nawaki was top Anbu captain before he decided to take on a Genin squad. He'll take good care of them." Kakashi said. "He's still a kid himself!" Anko yelled. "He's seventeen. Yeah he's young Anko. But he's still got more missions under his belt then most of the Senseis that took on squads this year." Kakashi replied kindly. Anko sighed. "I just want her to come back safe and sound Kakashi." Anko said sadly. "So do I. And I'm sure she will." Kakashi replied. The two stared out of the window together wondering when their daughter would return.

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Saiyuri ran through Konoha, and passed the Academy, she saw that the students were at break, and her little brother was sat in a corner, diligently studying as usual. She paused and walked over to him. "Tenshi?" Saiyuri called. He looked up at her. "Hey Nee-Chan! What are you doing here?" Tenshi exclaimed softly. "I was looking for Sakumo-Aniki. I wanted to say bye to you guys. I got my first C rank mission today so I'm heading out soon." Saiyuri said softly. Tenshi stood up and hugged his older sister. "I'll miss you Nee-Chan. No one makes more noise in the morning." Tenshi said cheekily. "I'll be back making a racket before you know it kiddo." Saiyuri stated. She started walking off. "See you soon Saiyuri!" Tenshi yelled after her. Saiyuri waved back. "One more thing Nee-Chan?" Tenshi called. Saiyuri turned around and looked at her little brother. "If you croak, then can I have your room?" Tenshi asked. A devilish grin crossed his face. Saiyuri giggled at her little brother. "Cheeky little Gaki!" Saiyuri yelled at him. When she left she could still hear her brother giggling. _"At least he isn't too worried."_ Saiyuri thought to herself.

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Itachi walked back with Kushina to the house. Kushina ran off upstairs, after taking off her sandals of course, and Itachi took off his own, and went looking for his father. He walked into the kitchen, and saw Naruto and Sasuke scribbling out drawings at the dinner table. He saw his Auntie Sakura obviously making the two toddlers a snack. "Auntie Sakura?" Itachi asked softly. She smiled brightly at him. "Hi Itachi-Kun. If you're looking for your father, he's upstairs." Auntie Sakura stated. "Yes I am looking for him. Our team has been assigned our first C rank mission. We're leaving the village in about fifty minutes." Itachi said. The female's eyes went wide. "Where's Kushina?" She asked. "Upstairs in her room, packing." Itachi replied. Auntie Sakura nodded and ran off up the stairs.

Itachi walked over to his little brother. "Itachi-Aniki, I'm drawing a picture of all of us!" Naruto said happily. "So am I Naruto. I wonder if Dad will let us get a puppy?" Sasuke said softly. The two children grinned at each other. "Well, I have to go soon guys. I'm going on a mission. But I'll be back soon. Sasuke, be good for your Mom and Dad and Uncle Sasuke while Kushina-Chan and I are gone okay?" Itachi said softly. Sasuke nodded vigorously, his blond spiky hair bouncing with his head. "Naruto, be good for Father and Auntie Sakura, and Uncle Naruto. Alright?" Itachi said to his small brother. Naruto stared at him for a moment. "I'm always good right?" Naruto asked. "Yeah I know. But be extra good, okay Ototou?" Itachi asked. Naruto nodded his head, his black bangs waving around with the gesture. "I'll see you both soon." Itachi said.

He heard a soft noise in the corridor, and saw Kasumi. "What's wrong Itachi?" Kasumi asked cutely. "Nothing's wrong Kasumi-Chan. Kushina-Chan and I are going on a mission so we won't be here for a few days. So I'm telling Naruto and Sasuke to be good." Itachi said cheerfully. Kasumi ran up and hugged Itachi's leg. "I'll see you soon Itachi." Kasumi said. Then she too ran off to clamber up the stairs. "I'm gonna go and find Father." Itachi said as he left the kitchen.

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Kushina was packing a small pack with necessities. She heard a knock at the door, and then heard the door open. "Kushina?" She heard Sakura ask softly. The red haired girl, turned to look at Sakura questioningly. "Itachi said you were both going on a mission." Sakura stated. "Yes what about it?" Kushina asked coldly. "I wanted you to be careful Kushina. I'll miss you sweetie." She said softly. Kushina looked at Sakura and saw unshed tears, glistening in her eyes. Kushina bit her lip._ "Why am I being so cold to her?"_ Kushina thought. _"She's so worried about me."_ She added silently. Kushina forced her body to move towards Sakura, and forced her arms around the woman's waist. Her body was treacherous, it didn't seem to want her to, she could feel the burning of the mark, but she held fast to what her mind wanted. She hugged Sakura tightly, and Sakura hugged her back even tighter. "Please be careful Kushina-Chan. We all love you, you know." Sakura whispered in her ear. Kushina hugged tighter, as she smelt the cherry blossom fragrance that always seemed to surround Sakura. The scent she always remembered as a child. "I love you guys too." Kushina whispered softly. She let go of Sakura gently and carried on packing. The burning pain of the mark, receding slightly. "Kushina what's been happening to you lately?" Sakura asked kindly. Kushina was so close to speaking up, to saying what had happened.

That was when the door burst open, and Kasumi ran in. She looked at Kushina, wide eyed, and trembling. "Nee-Chan, are you going away?" Kasumi asked. "Yeah. But only for a little while. I'll be back soon." Kushina's voice had gone cold again. "Please come back soon Nee-Chan. I'm gonna miss you lots!" Kasumi yelled. She flung herself at Kushina, and Kushina turned around and caught her expertly. The child wrapped her small arms and legs around Kushina tightly. Kushina felt her mark burning again. "Love you Nee-Chan." Kasumi said softly. Kushina hugged her baby sister gently. "Love you too Kasumi-Imotou." Kushina whispered. She put the little girl down, and packed her last item. Then she left the room. Not wanting to turn and look at Sakura or Kasumi's faces.

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Sasuke had been about to go and do some training when he saw Itachi coming up the stairs and Kushina swiftly leaving her room. The two twelve year olds collided spectacularly, and to stop them falling backward down the stairs, Itachi grabbed hold of Kushina, and flung them both forward. Itachi landed on top of Kushina and the two twelve year olds let off twin death glares. Sasuke just smirked at the scene. "What's going on Itachi?" Sasuke asked seriously, hiding his amusement at his son's embarrassing predicament. Itachi and Kushina both got up off of the floor. "We're leaving for our first C rank mission today Father." Itachi replied. Sasuke smirked. "Listen to your Sensei and don't take unnecessary risks." Sasuke stated sternly. "We won't Uncle Sasuke." Kushina stated boldly. She turned around and ran off down the stairs.

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Kushina ran into the kitchen. She looked at the toddlers sitting at the table, still drawing. "Kushina Nee-Chan! Come and look!" Sasuke called her innocently. Kushina walked over to the table, and leaned over to look at Sasuke's drawing. She saw the normal blob people that two year olds usually drew. One of the smaller ones had long red hair. "That's you Nee-Chan!" Sasuke said enthusiastically. Kushina looked closer and noticed a black blob in her arms. "What am I holding Sasuke-kun?" Kushina asked her little brother affectionately. "That's our new puppy that I'm gonna ask Dad to get us!" Sasuke stated. His eyes shone with intelligence. She noticed Naruto staring at her, his black eyes fixed on her neck. "Kushina-Chan?" Naruto asked softly. "What's wrong Naruto-Kun?" Kushina asked. "Why is there a black mark on your neck?" Naruto asked curiously.

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Saiyuri had found her way to the training grounds. She saw Mayumi, Dan and Sakumo training diligently. She felt unsure as to whether or not she could interrupt. _"I'd better say goodbye to him."_ Saiyuri thought. "Sakumo-Aniki!" She called out loudly as she walked into the training ground. Her older brother turned around and looked at her carefully. The face mask was still on his face. Saiyuri grinned. "I got my first C rank mission today. I have to leave soon. I wanted to say bye." Saiyuri said cutely. Even under the mask, she could see her brother frown. He grabbed hold of her and lifted her up in the air, bringing her towards him and hugging her tightly. She remembered him picking her up like that when she was small. She stared at her brother the whole time. "You know we love you Saiyuri, so don't go and get yourself hurt alright? You, Kushina and Itachi are just Genins so do what Nawaki says alright?" Sakumo stated questioningly. Saiyuri gave her brother a curious look. "I'll be alright Sakumo-Aniki! I'll be back before you even miss me." Saiyuri said chirpily. Sakumo grinned under his mask. "Just be careful Saiyuri." Sakumo stated firmly. "I will Aniki. I promise." Saiyuri said softly. "I love you guys too you know. I'm gonna miss you all." Saiyuri said softly.

She felt a hand clap on her shoulder. "Even me Saiyuri-Chan?" Dan asked teasingly. His eyes sparkled with mischief. Saiyuri and Sakumo glared fiercely. "Hey you asshole! Don't mess with my Imotou!" Sakumo yelled. "Awe, you're no fun Sakumo. After all, Saiyuri is the cutest girl around at the moment." Dan stated. Saiyuri saw the glint of mischief become larger, and she also saw a fierce glare in Sakumo's eyes. "I'll _kill_ you if you even lean in the direction of an atom of a thought about my Imotou, you bastard." Sakumo hissed. Dan grinned evilly and then planted a kiss on Saiyuri's cheek.

That was all it took for Sakumo to completely lose his temper. Sakumo dove onto Dan, ready to punch the living daylights out of his fellow teammate. Mayumi and Saiyuri stared at the pair incredulously, blinking, while Dan managed to wriggle away and escape, with Sakumo in hot pursuit. "I'm going to kill you Dan! How dare you kiss my Imotou! Watch when I tell my Father! He'll murder you if I don't catch you bastard!" Sakumo yelled as he chased after the laughing Dan. Mayumi sighed. "I swear those two are like a pair of cavemen. They fight over everything at the moment. If you're going on a mission, doesn't that mean my brother is heading out with you?" Mayumi asked. Saiyuri nodded. "He is our Sensei after all." Saiyuri replied. Mayumi bit her lip. That was when Saiyuri's white-haired Sensei appeared in the field between the two boys, who were trying to murder each other.

"Hey Sakumo, Dan, is my sister in this little pile up?" Nawaki asked cheekily. "No Aniki, I'm here. They're fighting because Dan kissed Saiyuri on the cheek." Mayumi stated sarcastically. Nawaki grinned evilly. "Hey! You two behave like the Chunin that you are. You tell me you're not dating either one of them Mayumi." Nawaki stated. "Well......" Mayumi started, trailing off, a mischievous glint in her own eyes. Saiyuri sighed when she saw the evil gleam in Mayumi's eyes. _"They must've taken on some traits from Uncle Naruto."_ She thought calmly to herself. "Which one is it? I'll murder them both!" Nawaki yelled. "I think I'm going now." Saiyuri stated. "See you soon Imotou-Chan!" Sakumo yelled, as both he and Dan started running from Nawaki. Once again on the same side. Mayumi shook her head in amusement, as Saiyuri left the training ground. _"Looks like Sensei is going to be late again."_ Saiyuri thought as she left.

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Itachi was packing some necessary items for the mission, as his father sat and watched him. "Itachi?" Sasuke questioned. Itachi looked at Sasuke carefully. "I want you to take what I said before into consideration. I don't want any of you to get hurt unnecessarily." Sasuke said sternly. Itachi nodded his understanding. "Remember the things I've taught you, and work with Kushina without fighting. I know you two don't always agree, but teamwork is invaluable." Sasuke recited kindly. "Yes Father. I understand." Itachi said seriously. He always listened to his father's words. He'd finished packing things, and slung a grey pack over his shoulders. He opened the door to his room, ready to leave.

"Itachi?" Sasuke called him back. "Yes Father?" Itachi asked. Sasuke stood up. He was a lot slower than before, and Itachi knew that all too well, but to Itachi, Sasuke was always going to be his strong father. "I love you and I'm very proud of you Itachi. I hope you always remember that." Sasuke said softly. Itachi gave a soft smile, not unlike the rare smiles his father had ever given. He placed his arms around his father's waist gently. He wasn't one for throwing himself at his parent. He hugged his father, and he felt his father hug him back gently. "Be careful." Sasuke said, for what seemed like the umpteenth time since he'd heard Itachi was actually leaving for a mission. Itachi smiled widely. "I will Father. I'll be back soon." Itachi said softly, as he left the room and ran down the stairs.

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Kushina stared at Naruto witheringly. "What are you talking about Naruto-Kun?" Kushina asked coldly. "There's a funny black mark on your neck Kushina-Chan. How comes?" Naruto asked again. "There isn't a mark on my neck Naruto-Kun. You must've seen a shadow." Kushina said softly. Naruto looked very confused. "I'll see you two squirts when I get back." Kushina said softly. They nodded and watched Kushina leave.

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other. "Did you really see a mark on Nee-Chan's neck?" Sasuke asked. "Yeah it was weird. It didn't look like a shadow." Naruto replied. His black eyes shone with confusion. "Well Nee-Chan doesn't lie. Maybe it's just an owie from training." Sasuke said. The two boys nodded, thinking they found the solution. Little Naruto still didn't feel quite right. _"I've seen that before."_ The small, dark-haired child thought to himself.

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Nawaki had finished chasing down the two teenage teammates of his little sister and had scared them beyond belief. He came back to say goodbye. "Mayumi, look after Ma while I'm not here okay? You know she hates it when either of us go on missions." Nawaki said kindly. "Of course I know Aniki. Now get going. Don't keep your students waiting...... longer." Mayumi replied. The siblings grinned at each other, and Nawaki gave his little sister a one-armed hug. "I'll see you soon squirt!" He called, as he poofed out of existence. "He's such a drama queen. He must get that from Daddy." Mayumi said to herself, as she went to find her scared-witless teammates.

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Kushina was five minutes down the road when she heard running footsteps. She looked behind her to see Itachi running to catch up. She paused for a minute to let him catch her up. He gave her a small glare. "Did you have to take off without me Gaki?" Itachi asked. "I was going to go to the Academy to say goodbye to Hinata. Baka!" Kushina stated. "I need to say goodbye to Hikari too you know?" Itachi stated bluntly. Kushina shrugged and Itachi followed her to the Academy in silence.

When they reached the Academy, it was still lunchtime. Hinata and Hikari were sat on the tree swing that Kushina had sat on very often as a child. She had been told by her father that he'd spent a lot of time on that swing himself. "Hinata I wanna talk to you for a few minutes." Kushina said softly. Hinata nodded and got off the swing, promising Hikari she'd be back in a moment. Kushina lead them a little bit away from the swing. She saw Itachi hugging his little sister, and obviously comforting her, as he told her he was going on a mission out of the village. "Hinata-Chan, I'm going out of the village for my first C rank mission." Kushina said. She felt Hinata hug her tightly. "I know it's only C rank but I'm still going to miss you." Hinata replied. "I'll miss you too." Kushina replied softly. Hinata grinned. "I'll see you when you get back." She said kindly. "We'll be back before you know it." Kushina said sternly. They walked back towards Hikari and Itachi. "See you soon Hikari-Chan." Kushina said softly. "Bye Kushina-Chan." Hikari uttered softly. "See you Hinata." Itachi stated, ruffling Hinata's hair. Hinata grinned and nodded in understanding.

That was when the two teens left. Unbeknownst to Itachi, Kushina gritted her teeth against severe, burning pain, coming from her mark. She hated the thing, and the more she tried to act against it, the more it hurt. But when she did what it seemed to want her to do, she felt like she was losing a part of herself. She wasn't sure if she wanted to keep her humanity, or lose it, along with the pain.

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Saiyuri arrived at the gate early, and saw Inari waiting and talking to Naruto. "Hi Inari-San! Hokage-Sama!" Saiyuri said politely. Naruto grinned and patted Saiyuri on the head. "Just make sure you're careful Saiyuri. Your Mom will murder me if you get hurt." Naruto said. Saiyuri giggled. "Okay Uncle Naruto. I'll be really careful." Saiyuri said cheekily. Itachi and Kushina arrived then. "Itachi, you'd better be careful too. Your father'll murder me if you get hurt too." Naruto said. "So will my father kill you if I get hurt?" Kushina asked sarcastically. "Yeap." Naruto replied as he pulled his eldest child into a hug. "It'd kill me if anything bad happened to you Carrot top." Naruto whispered. Kushina gave a soft smile, and Naruto was reminded of Hinata for a brief moment. Then the smile disappeared and Kushina became serious again. "I'll be back soon Daddy." Kushina whispered. Naruto hugged Kushina tightly and Kushina felt her mark burning again. She ignored it. "We'll all be fine Uncle Naruto. I'll look after Kushina-Chan and Saiyuri-Chan." Itachi stated seriously. Both girls scoffed at the idea. Naruto just shook his head, grinning. He remembered being like Itachi once. Wanting to protect everyone.

Nawaki arrived then. He grinned at his three students. "You're late!" Itachi and Saiyuri yelled. Kushina glared. Nawaki grinned sheepishly. "Well you see I was protecting my sweet little sister from the advances of lascivious teammates." Nawaki stated sheepishly. Naruto looked at Nawaki weirdly. "Dan and Sakumo are more interested in fighting each other than your sister Nawaki." Naruto stated. Nawaki pouted. "That doesn't mean they won't try something later on. If they do I'll castrate them." Nawaki stated proudly. Naruto sighed. _"God help Dan and Sakumo if they ever did fall for Mayumi."_ Naruto thought to himself.

_"Big brothers and their little sisters, I'll never get that protective streak."_ Saiyuri thought to herself. _"Glad I don't have any big brothers."_ Kushina mentally gloated. _"Hikari better not act like that when she's older. No weirdoes are going anywhere near my sister."_ Itachi thought to himself. "Okay team, let's set out." Nawaki stated happily. The group set out, as Naruto watched them leave. "Kakashi-Sensei, come out and stop worrying. They'll be fine you know." Naruto called out. Once the group had gotten far enough away of course. He heard someone land next to him and turned to look at Kakashi incredulously. "Maa maa Naruto. You got smarter as you got older." Kakashi said. His visible eye still looked into the distance. "Well I had to get smarter to be Hokage." Naruto stated proudly. "You were always going to be Hokage Naruto. Now there's a new generation to look after." Kakashi said sadly. "Is this your way of telling me you're too old and need to retire?" Naruto asked cheekily. "What?" Kakashi questioned. "I'm just kidding Sensei. Don't worry so much. You never used to be wound so tight." Naruto complained. Kakashi could tell his old student was joking, by the smirk on his face. "When you have children to worry about you do tend to get uptight." Kakashi replied. Naruto shrugged. His own worries about Kushina were forcing their way to the forefront, despite the fact she'd acted more like herself today than she had in a long while.

"So how's Sasuke?" Kakashi asked. "You haven't seen him?" Naruto asked. "Of course I have. He comes and talks to me every so often when he says he can't sleep." Kakashi said softly. "I don't think he tells me the truth about how he's feeling." Kakashi added. Naruto nodded. "I don't think he tells anyone except Tsunade Baa-Chan. You know she won't tell me and Sakura anything." Naruto replied. "I've noticed he's started moving more slowly, pacing himself, and being less graceful about his movements." Kakashi quipped. Naruto sighed. "If it kills me I'm going to find a way to help him. I have to Kakashi-Sensei. He's the closest thing to a brother I've ever had. I can't lose him again." Naruto said sadly. Kakashi placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder gently. "We'll find a way Naruto. Tsunade is the best Medic-nin and healer around. If anyone can find a way it's her." Kakashi replied. Naruto nodded sadly. The pair walked off, hoping that all would be made right soon. Neither realised how wrong it could all become.

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Okay that's the end of this chapter. Soon you're gonna see more effects of Sasuke's illness and more banter between Kushina and Itachi. Also Of course there's the mission to get through. But trust me things are only going to get more interesting from here. How interesting, will be something to consider for everyone. LOL! Also I know this chapter was a load of fluff but...... well there's no excuses it was just fluff. I was feeling a little fluffy when I wrote it. But the whole fic is not just going to be fluff people.

Anyways, please R&R and tell me what ya think. I always appreciate it. And if ya have any questions I will answer somehow. Whether by PM or in my chapter when I next update.


	6. Red

Okay everyone. Here's the fifth chapter of Redemption. I've got this thing planned for at least the next seven or eight chappies so don't worry about me running out of inspiration. LOL! Anywho, I hope you all like this chappie.

And to blueberry, thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked the last chapter.

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Redemption.

Chapter Five – Red.

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Itachi, Kushina and Saiyuri stayed silent while they listened to the story of their fathers fighting in the Land of Waves, for the freedom of its people, against the Demon of the Hidden Mist, Zabuza, and his own student, Haku. Itachi and Saiyuri were visibly in awe. Kushina didn't allow it to show on her face, but she felt great admiration for her father, Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi. Once the story was over, Kushina felt something was wrong. She felt like they were being followed. She kept her guard up fiercely. She looked at Itachi and Saiyuri carefully. _"They're not even concerned! Why the hell aren't they thinking about the mission?" _Kushina thought worriedly. She looked at her Sensei. _"At least Nawaki-Aniki-Sensei is focussed."_ She thought ruefully.

That was when they were attacked. Kushina pulled out a kunai straight away and prepared herself within seconds to fight. Itachi and Saiyuri looked shocked. Two masked men jumped out, and Kushina angrily recognised the symbol on their headbands. _"The Sound village!"_ She thought to herself furiously. She saw Saiyuri jump in front of Inari. Nawaki take out a sword and Itachi...

Itachi was frozen in place. One of the Sound ninja pulled out a dagger. With her sharp eyes, Kushina could tell it was poisoned. She dived forward. _"I gotta get there in time."_ Kushina thought to herself.

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Itachi had seen the ninja and the symbol on their headbands. It scared the life out of him. He'd heard that the new ruler wanted his father dead, but he didn't have a clue what they would want with Inari. One of the Ninja headed in his direction. _"Move! Move! MOVE ITACHI MOVE!"_ He yelled in his mind. But his body wasn't obeying him. The ninja was practically upon him and all he could do was stand there.

That was when he saw a red braid, and the flash of a kunai. Then he saw blood splatter. "KUSHINA!" He yelled fearfully. Was it her blood or the blood of the enemy?

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Nawaki turned at the yell, and saw Kushina with blood on her face. The Sound ninja standing over her. Then, to his shock, the ninja fell backward, blood gushing from his throat. The bloody kunai was in Kushina's hand. Her eyes were so cold and emotionless, that if Nawaki hadn't known better he'd have sworn she was a seasoned killer. She glared down at her near-dead opponent, an evil gleam in her eyes. She bent forward, grabbed his collar, yanked him upwards a little and whispered something in his ear. The man was gagging from the slit to his throat, and convulsing from blood loss, on the verge of death. Mere moments later, Kushina dropped the man to the floor. He was dead.

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Itachi stared at Kushina. He saw her lean forward and grasp the man's collar. When she hoisted him a little and whispered in his ear, he was shocked to hear what she said. "Serves you right scum. Don't attack my friends. You can tell everyone in hell that Kushina Uzumaki sent you." Itachi heard her hiss. Then she dropped the choking man to the floor and he died that second, a look of horror in his eyes.

When Itachi looked at Saiyuri and Nawaki-Sensei, he could tell they were as shocked as he was by Kushina's actions. They hadn't even heard her whispered words like he had. Kushina turned around and looked at Itachi. "What were you thinking, standing there like a frightened rabbit? You could've gotten yourself killed! You know if you make it to Chunin I won't be there to save your ass all the time!" Kushina yelled. Itachi would've yelled back at her, but he saw something that made him close his mouth. A couple of tears rolled down Kushina's cheeks. She turned around and stormed towards a little patch of trees. Saiyuri made to run after her, but Nawaki-Sensei stopped her. "There's a little pond there Saiyuri. She's probably just going to wash the blood off of her face." Nawaki said softly. Saiyuri stopped and stared at Itachi. "Are you alright Itachi?" Saiyuri asked. Itachi nodded silently. "Itachi you can't freeze like that again." Nawaki-Sensei stated. Itachi nodded vigorously.

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Later that evening, once Inari had returned to his home, the group were staying at his home, with his wife, Mina, and his mother and grandfather. Kushina sat outside on the porch, looking up at the night sky. She heard someone come and stand next to her. "Can I sit down Kushina?" Kushina looked up at Itachi. She shrugged and Itachi sat next to her. "I didn't mean to freeze up like that today. When we were on our journey to Konoha, I heard that Sound Ninja were looking for my father to kill him, and I didn't think. I acted irrationally and I froze up. I'm sorry I put you in that position." Itachi stated formally. "Which one?" Kushina asked blankly. "The position of having to worry about me? The position of killing someone else?" Itachi questioned softly. "Funny enough, killing him didn't bother me. And of course I was worried about you Itachi. We're teammates and we're frien......" Kushina trailed off. "What were you gonna say Kushina-Chan?" Itachi asked.

Kushina had stopped before she said the word friend. Her mark had started burning. She cringed with the pain. Unconsciously, her hand moved to clasp the spot of its own accord. It was only for a moment, and she had hoped the Itachi hadn't noticed. "Kushina? What's wrong? Did you get injured?" Itachi asked softly. Kushina shook her head. "No. I'm fine. Really." Kushina said softly. Itachi glared slightly. "No you're not. I just saw you wince like something burned you. Can't you be honest if you hurt yourself?" Itachi questioned. He pulled the high collar of Kushina's shirt down before she could make a sound. Kushina pushed his hand away and pulled the collar up, but not quickly enough. Itachi gasped in horror. "How?" He asked. Fear crossed his face. Kushina stood up slowly and backed away. She made to run, but Itachi was up and had grabbed her arm before she could make a run for it.

"Kushina, do you know what that mark on your neck is?" Itachi hissed. Kushina bit her lip, not saying a word. "It's a curse mark, used by Orochimaru, the old leader of Otogakure, Kushina. You need to tell someone. They can seal it and make sure it doesn't take you over." Itachi pleaded. "I knew it. If you tell them, they'll lock me up!" Kushina exclaimed. Itachi looked at Kushina carefully. She was terrified. He could see it clearly in her eyes. "Kushina, my father has the same mark on his neck. In the exact same spot. It'll take you over if you allow it to. Tell your father about it, and he can get someone to seal the mark so it doesn't do that to you. You have to tell someone Kushina." Itachi stated. Kushina shook her head wildly. "I can't tell anyone Itachi. Please don't say anything." She begged quietly. "Kushina?" Itachi felt himself bending to her will. "Itachi if I tell them, I'll get locked up. Please Itachi. Please." She begged. Itachi bit his lip anxiously.

"Is that why you've been acting so strangely? Your Father and Auntie Sakura have been so worried about you Kushina. It'll destroy you if you don't find a way to seal it." Itachi said softly. "How do you know it needs to be sealed?" Kushina asked. "My father has had the mark for years. He told me his Sensei, Kakashi, Saiyuri's father, sealed his curse mark. It stopped him from having so much trouble with it." Itachi replied. "I'll find a way. Just don't say anything Itachi. Please. They'll lock me up, interrogate me, maybe execute me." Kushina pleaded. "Your Father wouldn't..." Itachi was cut off by Kushina. "He would. For the good of the village, if he had to, he would." Kushina pleaded. Itachi sighed. "I'll help you find a way Kushina. I swear." Itachi said softly. Kushina smiled softly and threw her arms around Itachi's neck. She hugged him tightly. "Thanks Itachi-Kun." She whispered in his ear. Itachi's arms slid around her waist and hugged her back. Even though his face blushed bright red.

"Ahem!" The two bolted apart and stared at Nawaki. "Was I interrupting anything?" Nawaki asked teasingly. "NO!" The two teens yelled. Nawaki laughed. "Okay then kiddies. Bed time. We're off back to Konoha tomorrow." Nawaki stated. The two nodded and made to go inside. "Separate rooms you two!" Nawaki exclaimed teasingly. "ERO-SENSEI!" Kushina and Itachi yelled at the same time. Nawaki went back inside laughing his head off. Itachi and Kushina followed, glaring, hoping that Nawaki wouldn't carry on teasing them.

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A Sound Ninja knelt before a cloaked man. "Orochimaru-Sama, we attacked as you ordered. Kushina Uzumaki killed one of our ninja, saving Itachi Uchiha." The Ninja stated plainly. Only half of Orochimaru's face was visible. He smirked. "Go back and try again. Aim for the rest of the team. Leave Kushina Uzumaki alone, and see her reactions. Then report back to me." Orochimaru hissed. The Ninja nodded and left the room. Orochimaru pulled off his hood to reveal the other half of his- no Kabuto's face. "You intend to take Naruto Uzumaki's eldest child away from him Orochimaru-Sama?" Kabuto asked. His half of his mouth moved as he spoke. "Of course." Orochimaru stated. "She has the Byakugan. She'll make a half-decent host. It will be the perfect revenge against that Jinchuriki for his interference in my plans." Orochimaru replied. "Well, we'll have to see what happens, Orochimaru-Sama." Kabuto replied. "Yes we will. It should be interesting." Orochimaru replied. The two lapsed into silence. Both trying to hope for the day when they'd have their own bodies again.

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The very next morning, the group started back to Konoha. They were travelling over the 'Great Naruto Uzumaki Bridge' when Kushina once again felt that something wasn't right. This time, she noted the looks on her teammate's faces. She gripped hold of her kunai tightly, ready to pull it out of its resting place in her pouch, should it become necessary.

That was when a group of about ten Sound Ninja appeared out of nowhere. Kushina's kunai flew out of her pouch in an instant. She saw Itachi and Saiyuri ready to fight with their own kunai. To Kushina's horror, the Ninja didn't come near her. They went straight towards her teammates. Nawaki was trying to protect them. Kushina saw Saiyuri get side swiped with a kunai. A small spray of blood spilled out, onto the ground, and Saiyuri dropped to the ground, a hand held to the side of her thigh. "Saiyuri!" Kushina yelled as she rushed forward, ready to fight. She took note that when she made to strike, the Ninjas moved away from her. _"I'm not their target."_ Kushina thought in horror. She saw another three Ninjas head towards Nawaki, and he easily blocked them. Itachi was overwhelmed. That was when Kushina saw a Ninja heading towards Saiyuri with a sword. She saw the Ninja raise his sword over Saiyuri, and bring it down. This all happened within moments. Before Kushina could move, she saw Nawaki make hand signs and Saiyuri disappeared, replaced by a log. Kushina breathed a sigh of relief as Saiyuri ended up next to their Sensei.

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Itachi was trying his best. He really was. _"How am I supposed to fight five Ninjas at once?"_ Itachi thought as he desperately tried to keep his concentration. The near miss with Saiyuri had shocked him a little. That was when he saw that Kushina was running forward to help. He also saw how the Ninjas were avoiding fighting her. _"We must be the targets. Orochimaru probably wants to sever Kushina's ties to Konoha starting off with her teammates."_ Itachi thought to himself. He spun around when he heard more swords unsheathed, and he saw a Ninja practically on top of him. _"I'm gonna get sliced in two!"_ Itachi thought in shock. The Ninja was too close for him to dodge. The only thing he could was try to defend himself with his arms.

He heard the impact, but didn't feel the pain. He had unconsciously closed his eyes, to ready himself for pain, and when he opened them, he saw Kushina's red hair again. Some crimson blood had splattered on his face. He thought she'd killed the Ninja. That was of course when she fell backwards, and he held out his arms to catch her. A gaping slash, had appeared from her right shoulder, all the way down to her left hip. She looked as though her usually tan complexion was fading into ivory, as her blood flowed from her body. Itachi heard Saiyuri scream and Nawaki yell angrily, as he slashed into another Ninja. The one that had caused Kushina's injury looked down at Itachi with an evil grin on his face.

"Why?" Itachi asked softly. Kushina gave a weak smile. "B'cause we're comrades. And 'cause we're friends. Look after ev'yb'dy for me." Kushina uttered softly. Her eyes were fluttering closed. "Don't go dying Kushina! You're...." Itachi trailed off, as he noticed that Kushina's eyes had closed and her chest had stopped rising and falling.

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Nawaki felt his heart plummet into his stomach. _"Naruto trusted me with his child! How could I let this happen? She can't be dead!"_ Nawaki thought to himself angrily. He saw her chest stop rising and falling. The red blood, stained the ground, and Kushina's skin went as white as snow. Nawaki felt sick to his stomach. _"This is only their first mission."_ Nawaki thought with disbelief. That was when he noticed Itachi clenching his fists. The boys eyes, bled into red in that moment, and Nawaki knew that Itachi had acquired Sharingan.

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"You're my best friend." Itachi uttered softly. Finishing the sentence that he'd trailed from earlier. He felt something strange happen to his eyes, and suddenly, he could see everything more clearly. _"This must be Sharingan."_ Itachi thought to himself. He placed Kushina on the ground gently, and pulled out another kunai. Within moments, he'd dispatched the Ninja who'd harmed his friend.

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Nawaki watched as Itachi killed the Ninja, he'd seen cut down Kushina. Nawaki helped, and soon, there were no more Ninja to get through. Three of them had escaped. Nawaki glared fiercely as he bent down next to Kushina. He allowed his hands to glow green with the medical chakra his mother was famous for, and scanned Kushina for signs of life. He let out a sigh of relief when he found an extremely faint heartbeat. "Itachi come over here for a sec." Nawaki called sternly. Itachi nodded and ran over.

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Itachi saw the green medical chakra that Nawaki was using. "Sensei, is... Kushina-Chan...... alive?" Itachi asked. Nawaki nodded. Itachi heard Saiyuri let out a breath. "I need you over here Itachi. Saiyuri is injured. She can't hold Kushina down if need be." Nawaki stated. Itachi nodded and ran over to sit down next to Kushina and waited for his Sensei's instructions.

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Nawaki looked at Saiyuri and Itachi, as they both stared at him, begging for reassurance. _"I can't think of Kushina as my little Godsister, or even my student. She has to just be another patient. Ma always says that when she has to treat someone she knows. It helps her concentrate. I need to concentrate now."_ Nawaki thought to himself calmly. He repeated the mantra silently as he pulled out his med kit. He took out two plasma pills and crumbled them into Kushina's mouth. The bleeding became worse. "Sensei why is she bleeding more?" Itachi asked. "She's lost a lot of blood. I gave her plasma pills to regenerate some of that blood." Nawaki stated coldly. He used chakra scalpel to cut away the remains of Kushina's top. The sports bra that the teen seemed to be wearing underneath didn't fare much better, but Nawaki was adverse to remove the girl's only cover from public eyes. He started to use medical ninjutsu to heal the awful wound. It was taking a long time as the wound was long and deep. Nawaki concentrated on Kushina's hair, using it as a conductor for his own chakra, and trying to sew the wound shut. He saw the skin slowly knitting back together, as Kushina's wound healed from the outside. Once he was sure that at least the outside of the wound was closed, he picked up the teen girl, and Itachi placed her shredded shirt over her. "We need to get her to a safe place so I can carry on with healing the damage properly. We'll have to go back to Inari-San's house. Itachi, carry Saiyuri on your back, she can't walk with that injury. Hopefully, they'll know of a hospice where we can take Kushina and Saiyuri and get them both treated." Nawaki said softly. At that moment it began to rain.

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Later that evening, after Nawaki had finished doing whatever he could for Kushina's injury, especially without any hospice, Nawaki concentrated on Saiyuri. He already fed most of his plasma pills to Kushina. He looked at the pale girl, sat next to her red-haired friend. "Nawaki-Sensei is Kushina going to be alright?" Saiyuri asked softly. Nawaki went to work, healing the wound on Saiyuri's hip. "You're lucky this wound isn't too serious Saiyuri." Nawaki stated. He avoided her question plainly. The team looked at their fallen teammate with worry. Kushina was pale beyond belief. Nawaki had said she was stable for now, but Nawaki also knew that the situation could change at any time.

"None of her vital organs were damaged. She was pretty lucky. The reason she's in a bad way is because she's lost a lot of blood. If she doesn't regain consciousness, we'll have to carry her back to the village." Nawaki replied to Saiyuri's earlier question. Itachi and Saiyuri nodded their understanding. "Saiyuri, Itachi, go get some sleep. We may have a long journey ahead tomorrow." Nawaki stated. "Shouldn't one of us stay up and watch Kushina-Chan?" Saiyuri asked softly. "I'll do that. Now get some sleep." Nawaki replied. "Sensei, I'll look after Kushina." Itachi said. Nawaki and Saiyuri stared at the dark-haired boy. "I didn't get injured. You both need sleep more than I do. Saiyuri got injured, and you used a lot of your chakra to heal Kushina and Saiyuri, Sensei. So let me keep an eye on Kushina for now." Itachi said sadly. Nawaki smiled. "Alright Itachi. But you will need to get some sleep yourself eventually. We'll take it in shifts." Nawaki replied. "Then I'll take the shift after Itachi's. You used the most chakra Sensei, you need the most sleep. Besides, if you don't sleep, then if we're attacked like that again we'll be sitting ducks without your help." Saiyuri uttered softly. Nawaki shook his head in amusement. "Well at least you've all learned something about teamwork." Nawaki stated. "If any of you need me, just wake me. We'll all sleep here. It makes it much easier to keep watch." Nawaki said sternly. Then he unrolled a bedroll. Saiyuri did the same, as Itachi settled to watch over them all. "Sensei, does everyone know what's happened yet?" Saiyuri asked. "I sent a message earlier." Nawaki replied. Saiyuri nodded gently, and curled up in her bedroll. Soon enough, Saiyuri and Nawaki were sleeping. Itachi just sat looking out of the window and watching over his teammates.

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Late that night, Naruto couldn't sleep. He was looking over the message that Nawaki had sent him.

_Hokage-Sama._

_Cell Seven has been delayed coming back to Konoha because of the injury of two team members. One of them is injured very seriously. With the knowledge of medical ninjutsu that I have, I've done all in my power to prevent death, but I'm still worried for the well being of the team. If possible, I request the dispatch of a medical Ninja to the Land of Waves. If not we will be heading back to Konoha tomorrow, as I don't believe the injury will get better without the aid of our medical corp. Full report of details to follow on our return._

_Nawaki._

Naruto had immediately dispatched Shizune. He knew that Shizune was the best Medic-Nin besides Tsunade and Sakura. He couldn't send Sakura, as he knew she'd be distracted by the idea of Kushina being hurt. He'd already forewarned Sasuke, Kakashi and Anko that their children may be the injured ones. Telling Sakura had been harder. She'd let loose her temper first, asking why Naruto hadn't sent her. Then she'd cried. She was sleeping now. How well, Naruto couldn't say.

"Dobe?" Naruto turned his head to look at Sasuke. "Yeah Teme?" Naruto questioned back. "Why aren't you attempting to sleep? It's going to be a long day tomorrow." Sasuke asked. "I can't stop wondering who the seriously injured team member is Sasuke. I can't stop wondering if it's Kushina or not. Not that I don't care about Saiyuri and Itachi." Naruto babbled a bit. Sasuke smirked. "I know what you mean. I was worried when this mission started. But I tried to ignore it because as a parent I'm naturally worried for the safety of my son I guess. But when you showed me that letter I couldn't help hoping that if Itachi is injured, that it isn't too serious." Sasuke told Naruto. Naruto nodded. "Shizune left as soon as we got the message. She's going to go and check on the injured parties and make sure they can travel. Then they'll be coming back. I think Nawaki didn't say who was injured because he wanted me to think rationally." Naruto said softly. He looked out of the window sadly. "I'm sure that all of them will be fine." Sasuke stated, comfortingly. "You grew a personality when you became a parent huh Sasuke?" Naruto asked, trying to lighten the moment. The two males gave each other weak smiles. "You made Nawaki their Sensei for a reason. I'm sure he's done everything possible. They'll all come back safely." Sasuke uttered. Naruto nodded his head in agreement.

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At around midnight, Itachi was still concentrating on keeping watch, when he heard a soft groan. Itachi looked over to see Kushina opening her eyes. She still looked pale. Itachi went and sat next to her. "I feel like I got sliced in half and died in a hole." Kushina rasped out weakly. "You almost did die Gaki. What were you thinking? You shouldn't have dived in front of me like that." Itachi whispered. "Baka, I wasn't gonna let some idiot from Oto kill you off. Besides, I'll be fine soon. How long have I been out?" Kushina whispered questioningly. "A while. It's midnight. I'm supposed to wake Saiyuri up to keep watch soon. Nawaki-Sensei used a lot of his chakra, just to close your wound." Itachi replied. "I'm still sleepy." Kushina mumbled. She closed her eyes. Itachi smirked. "Well sleep then Gaki." Itachi muttered out. Kushina smirked tiredly. "Shut up Baka." Kushina mumbled, as she fell into a deep sleep.

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Shizune had arrived at the Land of Waves. She'd just crossed the bridge as the sun was rising. Her face was set with determination. _"Now to see who's injured and how badly."_ Shizune thought as she made her way to the address she'd been given.

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Nawaki was sat looking out of the window early that morning. Saiyuri and Itachi were fast asleep. Itachi had told Saiyuri that Kushina had woken for a few minutes. Nawaki stared at the sun rising above the water. The sun cast a lilac haze over the world outside. If Nawaki hadn't been so worried about what would happen to Kushina, then he might have taken some time to appreciate the beauty of such a scene. That was when he saw a figure with a dark head of hair walking towards the house. Nawaki recognised Shizune straight away. _"At least Naruto sent someone neutral."_ Nawaki thought gratefully. He went to greet Shizune, who gave him a kind smile, and greeted Inari's family calmly. "I'd better check on the severely injured Genin first." Shizune said sternly. Nawaki led Shizune to Kushina silently.

Shizune gasped as she saw Kushina. "Kushina was the worst injured." Nawaki said softly. Shizune knelt down next to the sleeping Genin, and examined her with her own medical chakra. "You did a good job Nawaki. We can take her back to the village, but she can't do too much running around for awhile until everything heals fully. We'll need to carry her back to the village." Shizune said softly. "I can carry her. Saiyuri was injured but not seriously." Nawaki replied. "I'll check on her too. We'll set out as soon as I've made sure that Saiyuri is alright, and that Kushina isn't going to get worse if we start travelling." Shizune uttered.

Saiyuri woke at that moment. "Shizune-San!" Saiyuri asked softly. "Let me check your injury Saiyuri." Shizune asked softly. Saiyuri allowed Shizune to scan her injury using her medical chakra and then Shizune gave a reassuring nod. "You're perfectly fine Saiyuri." Shizune said reassuringly. Saiyuri nodded. "I feel a lot better than I was yesterday. What about Kushina-Chan?" Saiyuri asked. "She'll be fine eventually." Shizune stated. Itachi stirred and looked at Shizune. "Shizune-San?" Itachi asked blearily. "Yes Itachi-Kun?" Shizune asked kindly. "Is Kushina-Chan going to be alright?" Itachi asked. Shizune nodded and Itachi sighed with relief. He got up and started packing away his own bedroll.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina could hear voices around her as she opened her eyes blearily. "What's going on?" Kushina heard herself ask sleepily. "It's alright Kushina. Your father sent me to tend to the injured." Kushina heard Shizune answer. "Am I okay?" Kushina asked. Her senses coming back to her slightly. "You will be. You're not going to walk back to the village however. Your wound hasn't healed enough to take the risk. Your Sensei is going to carry you." Shizune replied. Kushina felt a little cold, she moved her arm, and felt it rub against her bedroll. _"Bedroll? Where the hell is my shirt?"_ Kushina yelled in her mind. "What happened to my shirt?" Kushina asked. She opened her eyes to look at everyone. She was glad she felt a blanket covering her. "Your shirt got shredded pretty badly Kushina. I had to remove it to heal the wound." Nawaki said softly. Kushina smirked mentally at the fact her Sensei sounded rather embarrassed. "I have spare clothes in my pack." Kushina stated. She sat up slowly, holding the blanket to her front. She could still feel her sports bra, even if it was pretty mangled from where she'd taken the blow. She felt someone pass her pack to her gently. She looked at Itachi, who seemed concerned. That was when she realised her mark wasn't really covered by anything but her hair. _"Please don't let anyone have seen it."_ She thought to herself. "Can I have a minute to get dressed?" Kushina asked. "Move slowly Kushina." Shizune said kindly. _"No they can't have seen it. Nawaki and Shizune-San must be too worried about the injury I have to take notice of any marks on my neck."_ Kushina thought to herself. "Sure Shizune-San. My clothes are wrecked or covered in blood, so it's better to just change out of them." Kushina said softly. The group left the room and she pulled her spare clothing from her pack.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Later that day, Naruto was waiting with Kakashi at the gate. Sasuke insisted on meeting them later. He had to go and see Tsunade first of course. That was when Naruto saw the group. Saiyuri and Itachi were walking, Shizune was with them, and Nawaki. He didn't see Kushina. He tensed visibly. "It's alright Naruto. Kushina's being carried on Nawaki's back." Kakashi told him. He looked and noticed the mop of red hair leaning on Nawaki's shoulder. They made it to the gate, and Naruto looked at Shizune. "We need to take Kushina to the hospital and let Tsunade-Sama look at her. Saiyuri seems to be fine. Still a check up never hurt anyone. Itachi is in good health." Shizune stated. Naruto looked at the worried look on Itachi's face. _"He's concerned for his teammates."_ Naruto thought to himself. "Alright let's go to the hospital then. Itachi, do me a favour and go and tell Auntie Sakura and Auntie Anko to come and meet us at the hospital. They're sitting at home worried." Naruto said. Itachi nodded and ran off. "He's a good kid." Nawaki said kindly.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Later that evening, Naruto and Nawaki were in Naruto's office. "What happened?" Naruto asked. "This mission was very strange." Nawaki started. "When we started out, we were attacked by Sound Ninja. But Inari-San wasn't their target. They almost killed Itachi. He froze, it seems it was maybe the shock of seeing Sound Ninja in the first place. Kushina dived in front of him and killed the Ninja. She didn't show any emotions whilst doing it. I was shocked. I could tell Saiyuri and Itachi were shocked by it. She didn't seem upset until she yelled at Itachi for not keeping up his guard. It seems she was more worried for the safety of her teammates then she was concerned about her first kill." Nawaki stated firmly. "She didn't show any emotions?" Naruto asked. "None. It was almost as if she were a seasoned assassin. If I didn't know better I'd swear she'd killed someone before. She seemed...... she seemed to enjoy killing him." Nawaki said softly. Naruto bit his lip. "How did she get injured?" Naruto asked. "We completed the mission without a hitch after that. When we were leaving to go home, we went to cross the bridge and we were attacked by Sound Ninja again. They avoided Kushina at all costs Naruto-San. They didn't want to engage her in combat. Saiyuri had her thigh slashed and would've been killed if I hadn't used a substitution jutsu to move her out of the way. Kushina made to run and help Saiyuri, but she wouldn't have got there in time. Itachi put up a good fight for a Genin, but he was practically surrounded. One of them got in very close to him, and was going to slice through him. I didn't even get a chance to help him. Kushina jumped in the way. That's how she got injured. Itachi acquired Sharingan, and finished off the Ninja himself. After that he and I both got rid of the remaining Ninja. I believe three got away. After that, I did my best with my own medical skills and healed Kushina as best I could. We made our way back to Inari's house and I completed treatment there. I also treated Saiyuri's wound." Nawaki finished. Naruto nodded. "If you had to guess, what do you think they might have wanted?" Naruto asked. "I think it seemed to be more of a test on Kushina. They didn't want to hurt her, just us. I think someone wanted to know her reactions. If I had to guess, someone in Sound must've taken an interest in Kushina." Nawaki stated.

Naruto bit his lip. He wrote out a scroll and sealed it. "Give this to Sai, Nawaki, then go and take a break." Naruto said softly. "What are you thinking Naruto-San?" Nawaki asked. "I'm thinking that if someone has an eye on my daughter I'll personally kill them. But if they do, they'll be close, watching her, that's why I want Sai." Naruto replied. Nawaki understood completely. Sai had become a master of observation and he was still in Anbu. He was a great friend of Naruto's and Sakura's. "You want him to watch over Kushina?" Nawaki questioned. Naruto nodded seriously. "I have to do what I can to protect her." Naruto said softly. "What if she doesn't want protecting Naruto-San?" Nawaki asked. "I'm her father. I'll protect her no matter what." Naruto said softly.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina was in the hospital that evening. Sakura had bought her favourite orange pyjamas to the hospital and Kushina had been resting comfortably when everyone had been told visiting hours were over. Kushina was now extremely bored. _"I wonder what Tsunade Baa-Chan's up to."_ Kushina thought. She crept out of her room, making sure to avoid any of the staff. She knew as the Hokage's daughter, she'd be sent back to bed by fussing nurses in a heartbeat if she was seen wandering. She crept up to Tsunade's office quietly. The door was slightly ajar, and Kushina crept up to the door. Curiosity made her listen to see if anyone was inside. _"I don't hear anything. I wonder if she keeps sake in her desk still."_ Kushina thought mischievously. She hadn't had a mischievous streak like this since before she'd gotten the mark on her neck. She snuck into the office, and saw a file on the desk. She picked it up gently, and read the label on the top of it. "Sasuke Uchiha?" Kushina read aloud. Her voice was a mere whisper. She heard footsteps and placed the file back on the table. _"I'm in trouble if anyone catches me. Damn where do I hide?"_ Kushina thought to herself. She slipped into the filing room, adjacent to the office, and hid behind one of the larger cabinets. She heard two sets of footsteps come into the office.

"What's wrong Tsunade?" A deep male voice asked. _"That's Uncle Sasuke!"_ Kushina thought to herself. "Sasuke, I've been looking at what's happening to your blood cells. It's getting worse." Tsunade told him. _"What's getting worse? Is Uncle Sasuke getting sicker then he was?"_ Kushina thought as she carried on listening. "I could've told you that already Tsunade. You want to tell me something else right?" Sasuke questioned. "You're much worse then you were. It's spreading faster. At this rate, you'll be dead within three months Sasuke." Tsunade replied. Kushina crushed a hand against her mouth to stop herself gasping out loud. "That soon?" Sasuke asked. _"Why doesn't he sound more surprised? The whole point about being ill is that you get better. Auntie Sakura says that all the time!"_ Kushina thought angrily to herself. "I'm sorry Sasuke. There's only one person that can help you now. That's the person who created this thing. Kabuto will have an antidote. But finding him is going to be hard enough. If he can be found, I doubt he'll give help to Konoha." Tsunade stated. Kushina felt sick. _"Someone made Uncle Sasuke sick? Someone poisoned him!"_ Kushina thought to herself. She felt her mark burn.

"I knew this was going to happen Tsunade. Eventually I was going to have to think about this. Kabuto is probably still with Oto. Still loyal to Orochimaru, even though he's dead. Don't tell Naruto about Kabuto. He'd finish himself off just to try and find that cure. I don't want him to do that to himself. He'll start to think that he could do something when I die. I don't know if he could survive feeling guilt like that. I don't want him and Sakura to be worse off than they already are where I'm concerned." Sasuke stated. "I can't tell Naruto anything if you don't want me to Sasuke." Tsunade replied. Kushina heard them leave the office, then she came out of hiding. She was shaking. _"This Kabuto comes from Oto. Maybe......"_ Kushina allowed her thoughts to trail as she once again crept out of the office and back to her bed.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay everyone. That's the end of chapter five. I hope you all liked it. Anywho. Next chapter, some odd stuff and choices to be made. Please R&R people. Thanks for your time and I'll be updating soon.


	7. Bargain

Okay, I'm back from Spain, so here is chapter six of Redemption. I hope you all like this chappie.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Redemption.

Chapter Six – Bargain.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Saiyuri was sat at home. Sakumo was fussing over her. "Don't fuss so much Aniki. I'm fine." Saiyuri told her brother irritably. Dan and Mayumi were snickering behind their other teammate. "Yeah Sakumo, your sister still looks hot, so she must be fine!" Dan exclaimed. Sakumo turned and glared at Dan. "Don't talk about my sister like that you little pervert." Sakumo hissed. Dan snickered. "Sakumo, she's fine. My brother and I were taught by the best medic-nin to ever exist. And you should know my Mom wouldn't have let Saiyuri come home from the hospital unless she was okay." Mayumi told Sakumo seriously. That was when they heard a knock on the door. Saiyuri made to run and answer it, but Sakumo held her down on the chair by her shoulders. "Sakumo you baka!" Saiyuri hissed angrily. "No running around for you Saiyuri." Sakumo stated. Mayumi sighed and answered the door.

Itachi was standing outside. "Hey kid, Saiyuri's in the front room." Mayumi said kindly, and moved aside for Itachi to come in. "Thanks Mayumi-San." Itachi replied softly. He removed his sandals in the entryway, like everyone did in Konoha, and walked into the front room. "Hi Itachi!" Saiyuri exclaimed happily. "Hey Saiyuri. I just thought I'd come and see how you're doing, and see if you wanted to come with me to see Kushina-Chan." Itachi stated cheerfully. "I'd love to!" Saiyuri exclaimed as she wriggled free of her brother. "Run Itachi!" Saiyuri yelled happily. Itachi did as Saiyuri asked, grabbing his sandals. He threw them on quickly, as he saw Saiyuri jump out of the way of her over protective brother. She grabbed her own sandals, and Itachi allowed Saiyuri to grab on to his back. That was when Itachi sprinted off, Saiyuri laughing madly, clinging to his back, and Sakumo yelling profanities at the top of his lungs. After a few minutes, Itachi stopped at a bench, and let Saiyuri sit down to put on her sandals. Saiyuri was giggling madly as she pulled them on.

"You're the best male friend I have Itachi! Everybody is too chicken to defy my brother!" Saiyuri stated happily. Itachi blinked. "What's so scary about your brother?" Itachi asked. "I don't personally know. Something about how he looks too much like my Dad? I don't really get that either." Saiyuri stated curiously. "Well I'm not actually scared of your Dad or your brother." Itachi stated. Both Genin laughed. "Let's go and visit Kushina." Saiyuri said after they'd finished laughing. The pair started walking towards the hospital.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sai pulled on his Anbu uniform that morning. When he went downstairs to the living room that was behind his wife's flower shop, he found Ino talking to her old teammates. Sai never felt any jealousy about this, as he knew that Ino and her teammates were like a family. Inoshi, Shikariko and Chouzin were playing together quite happily. Shiori was attempting to get Nobu to play with her, but Shikamaru's blond son was as lazy as his father, and was napping on a bean bag. Shiori ran up to Sai, and held her arms up towards him. "Daddy Nobu won't pway wid me!" Shiori exclaimed cutely. Her long blonde hair was tied in bouncy pigtails, and she pouted up at her beloved father. Sai couldn't resist the cuteness of his four year old daughter, and picked her up. "Nobu just likes to sleep Shiori. I'm sure when Mommy, Uncle Shikamaru and Uncle Chouji are done talking, that Uncle Shikamaru will get Nobu to play with you."Sai said gently. Shiori wrapped her small arms around Sai's neck. Her black eyes flashed brightly with joy. "Yay!" She cheered.

Ino turned to look at Shiori, and smiled at Sai. "What did you promise her?" Ino asked. A tone of amusement in her voice. "I didn't. I just told her that when you were all done talking, I was sure that Uncle Shikamaru would get Nobu to play with her." Sai replied. Shiori nodded vigorously. "Yeah. Pwease Unca Shika! Nobu just wants ta sweep all da time! I wanna pway tag wid him!" Shiori exclaimed. Her eyes were all teary and her mouth set in a cute pout that even Shikamaru had trouble refusing. He bent down, where Nobu was sleeping away, and nudged the boy. "Nobu. Stop being rude. Play with Shiori-Chan." Shikamaru told Nobu gently. Nobu opened his deep blue eyes and looked at his father sleepily. "Twubellsum Daddy. Okay Shiowi led's pway!" Nobu said lazily, getting up from his sleeping spot and stretching. Shiori cheered happily, gave her father a kiss on the cheek, and thanked 'Unca Shika' quickly, before Sai let her down, and she ran off to play with Nobu.

"Where are you headed Sai?" Chouji asked. "I have a mission from Naruto." Sai replied. Ino looked at him with concern. "It's not dangerous Ino. Don't worry." Sai said softly. Ino smiled happily. With that, Sai said goodbye and left the house, wandering off to watch over Kushina, as he'd been asked to do.

xXxXxXx ONE WEEK LATER xXxXxXx

Naruto was sat at his desk when an irate Sakura stormed in. Naruto blinked in confusion at his wife's obvious fury. "Naruto Uzumaki! Are you having your daughter stalked like a criminal by our old teammate?" Sakura raged. _"The right answer would be no."_ Naruto's inner voice told him. "Yes I am." Naruto replied honestly. _"Damn it! Why don't you know how to lie? You've been the Hokage for how long? And you can't even lie to your angry, psychotic wife?"_ His mind screamed back at him. Naruto tuned out his inner voice as he faced his wife's rage. "Are you turning into Kakashi-Sensei? Naruto, she's going to notice sooner or later! If she hasn't already! How are you going to explain to her that you don't trust her enough to let her make her way around the village without an escort?" Sakura yelled angrily.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Saiyuri, Itachi and Kushina were sat in Kushina's hospital room. They were playing Go fish. "Got any tens?" Saiyuri asked. "Go fish." Itachi stated. Saiyuri glared. "Got any fours?" Saiyuri asked. "Go fish." Kushina replied. "Damn it! You guys suck! I always lose!" Saiyuri yelled. Kushina let out an almighty sneeze. "Bless you!" Saiyuri exclaimed, as Kushina looked more than a little confused. "You know when you sneeze someone's talking about you." Itachi stated. "Or thinking about you!" Saiyuri added. Kushina shrugged. "Got any sixes?" Saiyuri asked. "Go fish." Both Itachi and Kushina said at the same moment. "DAMN IT!" Saiyuri cursed.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sakura was glaring at Naruto fiercely. "Sakura, someone in Otogakure has taken an interest in her. I can't just take the chance that someone won't try to take her away from here. They were already attacked once. The whole team, with no provocation! I just want to keep her safe Sakura!" Naruto yelled. Sakura bit her lip. "Oto?" She asked shakily. Both Sakura and Naruto knew the pain of losing someone they cared about to Oto. They didn't want such a thing to happen again. Sakura sighed. "Why didn't you just tell me? Why make Sai her babysitter?" Sakura asked. "Because I need to know that she's safe at all times. Wherever she is. I can't expect you to chase her everywhere. She'd definitely notice that. Sai is someone she won't notice." Naruto said softly. Sakura bit her lip. "I noticed Sai, Naruto. You think she won't figure it out sooner or later?" Sakura asked. "You know Sai's chakra Sakura. If you didn't would you have figured it out?" Naruto asked. "I would know someone was watching Naruto. I'm not a trained Kunoichi for nothing." Sakura stated. "I know all of this. I just want to keep her safe Sakura. For as long as I possibly can. Is that so wrong?" Naruto asked softly. Sakura could see the utter desolation in Naruto's face. It was something very few people ever had the chance to see. "We'll all keep her safe Naruto. Somehow, we'll manage it. When she figures Sai out, someone else will be watching. If we run out of Anbu, I'll be watching, no matter what. Kushina belongs with us. She'd never go to Oto willingly." Sakura said softly.

"We thought that about Sasuke too. But he defected Sakura. I won't take that chance on Kushina. I can't afford to. I learned from my mistakes. Somehow I'll make sure she's safe, even if I have to follow her myself." Naruto stated softly. Sakura nodded her understanding, as the pair looked out of the office window. "Tsunade-Shishou said that Kushina can come home today. She can't run around for another month yet, but soon enough she'll be able to. Nawaki promised me that he'll have something for her to do in training, and that he won't work her too hard. We should get some Ramen. She always likes to eat Ramen after she's been sick." Sakura enthused. Naruto grinned. "Yeah. We'd better prepare for her to come home." Naruto replied.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina was dressed in her usual outfit, waiting for Sakura to pick her up. She wasn't allowed to leave without her, or so Tsunade had told her. Kushina had packed up her things that had been in the hospital. She heard the door slide open, and there was Naruto, standing in the doorway in his Hokage glory. "Hey Carrot top!" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully. Kushina grinned widely. She ran over to hug her father. The mark hadn't been hurting whilst she'd been in the hospital and Kushina had been taking full advantage of it. She held on to her father tightly, as her father hugged her back. "How comes you never came to visit Dad?" Kushina asked. A scowl on her face. Naruto smiled sheepishly. "Would you believe I was a little bit scared to come?" Naruto asked. "No!" Kushina answered bluntly. "Well I was. I was terrified when they bought you back injured Kushina. I was so scared I couldn't think straight. I threw myself into my work as usual. Auntie Sakura told me you were finally okay to be released today. I thought it was only fair that I come to pick you up after being such a wimp." Naruto stated sheepishly. Kushina shook her head. "You're so weird Dad." Kushina said. "I might be weird, but imagine having Kakashi as a Sensei." Naruto replied. "We don't have to. Nawaki-Aniki-Sensei is just as bad. He's a raging pervert with a protective streak a mile long." Kushina stated. Naruto laughed at that statement as Kushina tried not to laugh too much herself. "Let's go home Carrot Top." Naruto said softly. Kushina nodded and Naruto picked up her little pack. She followed him, and closed the door of the room behind her.

xXxXxXx ONE MONTH LATER xXxXxXx

Kushina woke up early. She didn't know why, but something told her to check on everyone. She went to check on Hinata first, who was next door to her. Then Kasumi. Both her little sisters were sleeping soundly. A quick scan with the Byakugan showed they were perfectly fine. She kept it activated as she went from room to room. She checked on little Sasuke and little Naruto, who were sharing one room. Both fine. She checked on Hikari, who was also sleeping well. She peeked into Itachi's room, and saw him sleeping curled up under the duvet, as he always was. Kushina gave a soft smile, as she took note Itachi was also fine and closed his bedroom door as silently as she'd opened it.

She peeked into her Father and Sakura's room. They were both sleeping contentedly, with smiles on their faces. Kushina didn't leave until she'd used her Byakugan to check they were also healthy. She only had one more room to check. She opened Sasuke's bedroom door, and saw that Sasuke was lying in bed. She also noted that he was paler than usual. She used Byakugan, and saw that his heart had stopped beating. Her own heart stopped. "Uncle Sasuke?" She whispered in horror, before she started screaming at the top of her lungs for Sakura.

Sakura ran into the room, with Naruto following her. "Kushina? What's wrong?" Sakura asked. "His heart's not beating Auntie Sakura!" Kushina yelled. She'd never witnessed death in this capacity and it frightened her. Sakura immediately used Medical chakra on Sasuke. Naruto pulled Kushina into a hug, and Kushina buried her face into her father's chest, not even looking at what was happening. Sakura looked at Naruto. "We have to take him to the hospital. His heartbeat is there, but it's very faint." Sakura said softly. Itachi came into the room at that point. His eyes were wide and when he looked at his father, he was afraid. "I'll take your father to the hospital Itachi. I want all of you to stay here. If they're all still sleeping, let them sleep. I'll let you know as soon as I know anything." Naruto told them. Kushina and Itachi stood side by side as Naruto picked up Sasuke, and followed Sakura out of the house. The silence was deafening when the door was shut.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Once Sakura and Naruto had left the house, they'd headed to the hospital at the fastest speed they could go. They headed up onto the roofs and roof-hopped all the way to the hospital. _"You have to be alright Teme! Your kids need you! Hell I need you! Come on brother! You can make it!"_ Naruto was yelling in his mind.

When they got to the hospital, Sakura ran in, giving orders at the top of her lungs. "We need a room now!" Sakura yelled at the receptionist, who sped to do what she asked. "Is Shizune here?" Sakura asked another nurse. "Yes Sakura-San, she is here." The nurse replied timidly. "Well go and get her then!" Sakura exclaimed. The nurse scuttled off like a frightened rabbit to do as she was bidden. "A room is ready Sakura-San." The receptionist told her. "Which room?" Sakura asked sternly. "One-zero-two Sakura-San." The receptionist replied. Sakura sped off, with Naruto right behind her, still carrying Sasuke. They got to the room, where Shizune was already waiting for them. "Is he bad?" Shizune asked. Sakura and Naruto both nodded. "His heartbeat is so slow I almost didn't spot it. If Kushina hadn't gone to see him we wouldn't have known until it was too late." Sakura said softly. "I already asked Ino to go and get Tsunade-Sama." Shizune said gently. Both Naruto and Sakura nodded gratefully. "Thanks Shizune Nee-Chan." Naruto said kindly. Shizune smiled and left the room to get necessary equipment. Naruto looked at Sakura. "What do you think made Kushina go to Sasuke's room?" Sakura asked. "I don't know but whatever it was, without that Sasuke would be dead, so we'd better thank her." Naruto said sternly. Sakura nodded. Although both of them were wondering the same thing.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina was shaking. "What made you go into my father's room?" Itachi asked. Kushina looked at Itachi, her eyes filled with confusion and fear. "Kushina?" Itachi pressed. "I was worried. I don't know why. I had a funny feeling. I checked everyone's rooms. When I saw you were all okay, using my Byakugan, I went to your father's room last and I......" Kushina trailed off, her eyes tearing up. Despite a lot of things, Kushina deeply respected Sasuke. Itachi bit his lip. "It's okay Kushina-Chan. I just wanted to know. If you hadn't gone in there, he might've died and nobody would've known." Itachi said softly. Kushina looked at Itachi to see there were a couple of tears making their way down his cheeks. He hugged Kushina, and even though he was supposed to be an Uchiha, and a boy, and a Shinobi, he cried, as Kushina hugged him back, trying to soothe his pain.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tsunade arrived at the hospital. She sped into room one-zero-two and got to work. She scanned Sasuke with her own medical ninjutsu and shot out orders right and left to Sakura and Shizune. Naruto waited outside. He had no choice. _"Please god let him be alright."_ Naruto prayed.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Later that day, Kushina and Itachi got Hinata and Hikari to go to the Ninja Academy. They felt it best not to say anything about Sasuke until they knew what was happening. It seemed unfair in retrospect, but Itachi bought up a good point. If they didn't know for now, they wouldn't be worried, and would be able to go on as normal. If they knew, they'd want to stay home and wait like Kushina and Itachi had to. Both of them, as the elder children, thought it best to let them be worry free until it was absolutely necessary.

Little Naruto and Little Sasuke were playing with Kasumi quietly. Kasumi was showing the two boys how to build little houses from building blocks. They watched her in awe, as all small children watch their elders. They heard a knock on the door, and when Kushina went to answer it, there was Saiyuri. "I heard about Sasuke." She whispered softly. Kushina nodded and let Saiyuri come in. "The other kids don't know anything yet. It's just me and Itachi that know. So don't say anything to them." Kushina whispered. Saiyuri nodded, as she removed her sandals. Itachi looked at Saiyuri. "Saiyuri, can you do me a favour?" Itachi asked. Saiyuri blinked. "What favour?" Both girls asked incredulously. "I want to go and see what's happening at the hospital. So can you stay with Kushina while I go?" Itachi asked.

"Wait a sec." Kushina stated irritably. "I found your father this morning Itachi. I'm worried too. You can't just leave me here and go." Kushina added. Saiyuri stared at the pair. "Geez you two bicker like an old married couple! Why don't both of you go? I'll keep the kids occupied. But you better not be gone too long. My Mom wanted my help to move the furniture around. I have no idea what is up with her lately." Saiyuri quipped. Kushina and Itachi stared at Saiyuri for a moment then grabbed their sandals and slipped them on. "Kasumi, Naruto, Sasuke, You guys behave for a few minutes! Itachi and I are going to get something okay? Saiyuri's in charge of you!" Kushina yelled. A few seconds later a chorus of "Yes Kushina-Chan!" Was heard from the living room. "See you in a few Saiyuri." Kushina said softly. Itachi nodded and the pair ran out of the door.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sakura and Naruto were sat next to Sasuke's bed. One on each side. Both of them looking at him worriedly. Sasuke was conscious but he was still very pale and both of his old teammates could tell he was losing strength. Tsunade looked at the trio. "Sasuke, this episode proves that no treatment is actually helping you. You'll have to stay in the hospital so we can keep an eye on your heart rate at all times. I don't know how long you have at this rate." Tsunade said gently. Her face looked saddened. Sasuke nodded his understanding. Sakura allowed tears to fall down her cheeks and Naruto looked like he'd been told his own death sentence. Little did any of the room's occupants know that they had two interlopers listening in to their conversation.

Itachi looked at Kushina, the look on his face was easy to read, heartbroken. Kushina felt terrible pain, to see her father, Sakura and Itachi hurting. _"Maybe I can do something."_ She thought to herself.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

That night, after everyone went to bed, Kushina snuck out of the house and into the forest. She waited for the creature to turn up. But he never did. _"He knows that I want something now. He's going to make me wait. Damn it! I don't have time to be sitting around waiting."_ Kushina thought to herself.

xXxXxXx ONE MONTH LATER xXxXxXx

Kushina had been sneaking into the forest every night, but she hadn't come into contact with the creature. Sasuke was gradually getting worse, and Kushina knew she didn't have long to find out what she needed to know. Tonight, she felt her mark burning. She knew she'd see him tonight. Not that she really wanted to. If she could help it, she'd be running away. But she had to speak to him. She left the house telling Sakura and her father she was going to stay at Saiyuri's house. _"Hurry up you asshole!"_ She thought to herself. That was when he appeared. She glared at him. "Have you been waiting for me Kushina-Kun?" He asked. His voice was syrupy sweet, and it left a sick feeling in the pit of Kushina's stomach. "I want to ask some questions. If you don't answer them, I'll reveal you to my Anbu body guard." Kushina hissed. "Oh you mean that Sai boy? I already dealt with him a few minutes ago." The creature stated. Kushina felt her eyes widen. "What did you do to him?" Kushina asked fearfully. "He's not dead. Not yet anyway." The creature hissed.

Kushina glared fiercely at the creature. "I need to know if you have a man called Kabuto working for you." Kushina asked. The man seemed to do a double take, and then smirked. "It seems Tsunade has figured out why Sasuke-Kun is so sick." The creature said gleefully. "Can you make him better?" Kushina hissed angrily. "What makes you think that I would want to?" The creature hissed back. "If you can then make him better!" Kushina yelled. "Why do you care Kushina-Kun?" He asked. The tone of his voice was laced with derision. "Because his illness is hurting all the people I care about in the world. Because I respect him, and I don't want him to die." Kushina answered softly. "What would you give to save him Kushina-Kun?" The creature asked. Kushina felt her heart stop. "You want to make a deal don't you?" Kushina asked softly. "You can hand over the cure yourself to Sasuke-Kun. But you give your word to come to Oto of your own free will. You give me your word you will head out as soon as you hand over the cure, and you can have it." The creature told her.

Kushina bit her lip anxiously. _"What should I do? Should I do what he wants? How can I be sure the cure he has will work? What would Dad do?"_ Kushina felt questions run through her mind at great speeds. Of course she knew in her heart what her father would do to save someone he cared about. _"Dad would do anything to save the people he cares about from pain. I should do the same thing."_ Kushina thought sadly. "When will the cure start working?" Kushina asked. "Straight away. It will stop the eradication of his cells, and he'll be able to feel it working. You'll know by using your Byakugan whether or not the cure is helping him." The creature told her. "Who are you?" Kushina asked. The creature seemed to smirk as he removed his hood. Once again she saw two halves of a face. "I'm half a being child. Half Kabuto, half Orochimaru." The two voices answered her.

Kushina was horrified. _"It doesn't matter how disgusted I am by him. I have to do this!"_ She thought. "Is it a deal?" The dark-haired half asked her. He held out his hand. Kushina looked at the hand carefully. "Deal." Kushina uttered softly, shaking the creature's hand. "As soon as I see that the cure is working I'll leave." Kushina said softly. He smirked at her, as he handed her a vial of a green liquid. "This will save Sasuke Uchiha. I want your word, on your father's life that you will do as you've bargained." The man said sternly. "I give my word on my father's life that I'll fulfil my side of the bargain." Kushina promised, wondering exactly how far into hell she would go, now that she'd made a pact with the devil.

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Okay that's the end of chapter six. I hope you all liked it. Please R&R and let me know what you think.


	8. Sacrifice

Okay chapter seven is here people. I hope you like it.

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Redemption.

Chapter Seven – Sacrifice.

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Saiyuri was reading through an old jutsu technique scroll, trying to brush up on genjutsu. _"I need the book on illusionary plant genjutsu."_ Saiyuri thought to herself. She went to look for her copy of the book she needed, but found it missing. _"I wonder if Kushina has it."_ Saiyuri thought to herself. She left her room and ran down the stairs. "I'm going to Kushina's for a bit Mom. I'll be back soon." Saiyuri called out as she slipped on her ninja sandals. Tenshi looked out of the living room curiously. "Sakumo and Dad are going to be looking for you Saiyuri-Chan." Tenshi said seriously. The boy's mocking laughter was in his eyes. Saiyuri shook her head as she heard her mother's answer of approval and left the house.

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Kushina found Sai before she went to the hospital. She felt a little sick, as she saw Sai lying unconscious under another tree. She used her Byakugan to check that he was still alive. She took note that he had a bad head wound, and he was fairly badly beaten up. She could also see internal injuries, not unlike injuries that were caused by the way some medic-nins fought. _"Well it's now or never to try out Shunshin."_ Kushina thought. She placed a hand on Sai's arm, and made the seals with one hand. She concentrated, and then she heard a poof. When she opened her eyes she was in front of Tsunade's house. She banged on the door vigorously. As soon as she heard someone coming to the door, she poofed out of existence again.

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It was dinner time. Everyone was very sombre. They all knew that Sasuke was very ill, and that there wasn't any more they could do to help him. Kushina wasn't there. She'd told them that she was going to Saiyuri's for the night. Itachi felt extremely alone. _"I wish I could figure out what was wrong with father."_ Itachi thought to himself sadly. There was a knock at the door then. "I'll get it Auntie Sakura." Itachi said softly, when he saw her move to get up. Itachi got up and went to answer the door and he was shocked to see Saiyuri. "Is Kushina there?" Saiyuri asked. Itachi looked back into the house. _"Kushina lied to Auntie Sakura and Uncle Naruto? Why would she do that?"_ Itachi thought to himself. "Who's at the door Itachi?" He heard Naruto call him. "Uh... no one Uncle Naruto. Someone must've been playing a prank." Itachi called back. He put a finger to his lips, signalling to Saiyuri to keep quiet. "Okay, are you coming back to eat?" He heard his Auntie Sakura call to him. "Yeah, I will in just a sec. I left some stuff in the garden." Itachi stated. "Hurry up Itachi, you're gonna be training tomorrow." He heard his Uncle Naruto call. "Okay. I'll be back in a sec." Itachi called. He pulled the door shut gently.

"Where's Kushina?" Saiyuri whispered. "I don't know. She told Auntie Sakura and Uncle Naruto she was going to stay at your house." Itachi whispered back. "But she hasn't been to my house today." Saiyuri uttered. "We need to split up and go look for her. I'll finish my dinner quickly, and tell everyone I'm going for a walk. We meet back here in an hour. If you find her, obviously you drag her back here. If they find out she lied about where she was going, they'll go nuts. She's been acting really weird as it is." Itachi stated. Saiyuri nodded and went off to search, as Itachi ran back in to the house to do as he'd said he would.

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Kushina was sneaking around the outside of the hospital. _"The tree climbing exercise I learned from Dad should come in handy."_ Kushina thought as she concentrated chakra to the soles of her feet. She walked up the wall until she could see into Sasuke's room. She could see how pale and thin he looked. _"This has to work. I traded my whole life for it. It has to work."_ Kushina thought to herself vehemently. She eased the window open and climbed in gently. She saw the tubes and machines, working to keep Sasuke alive. She'd seen Sakura working them many times. _"How do I put medicine in again?"_ Kushina thought to herself. She looked until she saw a tube, with a catheter on the end. It was distributing painkiller. Kushina pulled off the vial of painkiller, and replaced it with the vial of green liquid. She saw it start to drip into the tube and knew it would reach Sasuke soon.

She saw the vial empty into the tube slowly. From the tube it disappeared into Sasuke's veins. She waited a few minutes, and then activated her Byakugan. She saw the medicine travelling through Sasuke, and attacking the disease. She sighed with relief. She made to leave the room, when she heard a soft groan. She turned to see Sasuke's eyes opening. "Kushina? What are you doing here kid? Aren't you supposed to be at home now?" Sasuke asked gently. "I just...... wanted to see how you were doing Uncle Sasuke. I was worried about you. How are you feeling?" Kushina asked kindly.

Sasuke looked as though he were thinking about it for a moment. "Surprisingly I feel a lot better. Better then I've felt for a long time. Maybe Tsunade finally gave me dopey painkillers." Sasuke said. Amusement seeped into his voice. Kushina grinned. "I think you'll be feeling a lot better before long." Kushina said cheerfully. Sasuke gave her a strange look. "You do know how sick I am, don't you Kushina?" Sasuke asked. "Yeah. But being sick, means you get better. Auntie Sakura says that all the time." Kushina replied. Sasuke shook his head. "Uncle Sasuke?" Kushina decided to ask. "What is it Kushina?" Sasuke asked softly. "What would you give to save someone you cared about?" Kushina asked. "What do you mean?" Sasuke asked. "Like if my Dad was in trouble, what would you give to save him?" Kushina asked. Sasuke looked at Kushina strangely for a moment. "Anything." Sasuke answered without a doubt to hinder his voice. Kushina gave a sad smile. "I thought so." Kushina uttered softly.

Kushina went to the window. "So where are you off to?" Sasuke asked. "Nowhere special Uncle Sasuke. I know you're gonna feel better soon. I'd better get going before a fussy nurse finds me." Kushina said softly. Sasuke smirked. "You're so like your father." Sasuke said gently. Kushina looked out of the open window. "Yeah I suppose I am." Kushina replied gently, before she leapt out of the window, using her chakra to run down the wall, and let her land softly. With that she was gone.

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Itachi was just about to leave the house, when he opened the door, he was greeted by Nawaki. "Nawaki-Sensei?" Itachi was completely confused. "Hey Itachi! Where's Naruto-San? I was just about to knock when you opened the door. Can you go get him? I've got something important to tell him." Nawaki stated quickly. Itachi nodded and walked into the dining room. "Uncle Naruto, Nawaki-Sensei is at the door. He says there's something important he needs to tell you." Itachi said. Naruto nodded and left the dining table. Sakura followed him. The other children were still eating. Itachi listened out at the door for the conversation.

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Naruto and Sakura looked at Nawaki, who looked agitated. "There's been an attack on one of the Anbu." Nawaki stated plainly. "What?" Sakura asked. Shock showed on her face. "Who?" Naruto asked. "Sai." Nawaki answered. Both Naruto and Sakura looked worried. "He was supposed to be watching out for Kushina." Sakura whispered in horror. "Someone obviously got to him. He's very badly injured. We're lucky that he managed to drag himself to my front door, or he would be dead. My Ma worked on him, and then we got him to the hospital." Nawaki relayed. He looked disturbed from the whole event. "Have you got the medical report yet?" Sakura asked. "A quick assessment from my Ma, that's it. Shizune-San and my Ma are still there trying to save his life." Nawaki said softly, as he handed over a small file to Sakura.

Sakura read through it quickly. "With those injuries, he would've been in no condition to drag himself anywhere. Someone took him to your house on purpose Nawaki. Why wouldn't they stay if they cared enough to take him there, why not stay to see if he's alright?" Sakura questioned. "I have no idea. But what I wanted to know was if someone should be sent to tell Ino or not? I wouldn't know who to send, and whatever happens now is your call Naruto-San." Nawaki stated. Naruto nodded. "I'll go to the hospital and see how Sai's doing. Sakura, you're Ino's best friend. It might be better coming from you." Naruto said softly. Sakura nodded. "I'll come with Ino to the hospital and help Tsunade-Shishou and Shizune-San work on Sai. If this is a quick report I dread to think what the real damage is going to amount to." Sakura said. A troubled look passed over her face. "What's wrong Sakura-San?" Nawaki asked. "These injuries were made by a Medic-nin. Nobody else could make injuries like this." Sakura uttered. Her face filled with troubled fears. "It looks like the work of Kabuto." Sakura added softly. Naruto bit his lip. "Nawaki, I want you to look for Kushina. If you don't find her report to me at the hospital." Naruto said. Nawaki nodded and left. Nobody noticed Itachi listening in or the look that crossed his face, as he too snuck out of the house to search for Kushina.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina saw everything that happened from outside the house. _"At least Uncle Sai is at the hospital now."_ She thought to herself gratefully. She snuck in through her open bedroom window. She grabbed an orange pack, and started packing some things. Her orange pyjamas, a few of her orange and black shirts, and black shorts, and some of her weapons. She looked at the shelf above her bed, and saw some pictures sat there. One was a picture of her family, with Sasuke, Itachi, Hikari and little Naruto. It was the day she'd graduated. Another was a picture of her team, with Nawaki, before their first C rank mission. All of them with their headbands displayed proudly, and Saiyuri grinning madly. Kushina smiled softly, and Itachi gave a smirk. Another picture was of them in Kushina's hospital room. Kushina sat in bed glaring at Saiyuri and Itachi, who were sat either side of her, hugging her. Her arms were up, one on Itachi's arm, and the other on Saiyuri's. Most people would've thought that this was a beautiful display of their friendship, but in reality, Kushina had been trying to cover her face, and Itachi and Saiyuri had been trying to hold her arms down for the picture. Another picture was a group shot of everyone at her graduation party. She saw so many faces she cared for. Tsunade Baa-Chan, Ero-Sennin, Kakashi, and so many others that she'd known her whole life. The last picture on her shelf was one she'd shed many tears over. The picture of her family, just before Hinata had been born. Her mother and father hugging each other, and her in the middle, with a hand on her mother's stomach, which had been huge at that point. Kushina put the pictures in her bag. _"I won't ever forget them."_ Kushina thought to herself, as she left her room quietly.

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Saiyuri wasn't sure what made her come to the main path out of the village. She sat on the bench there, and waited for a few minutes, and sure enough, there was Kushina, pack on her back, preparing to walk out of the village. "Kushina!" Saiyuri called. Kushina turned back to look at her. "What are you doing?" Saiyuri asked. "I'm leaving Saiyuri. I'm not coming back." Kushina stated coldly. "What are you talking about? We're friends and comrades! Why would you leave and betray your home?" Saiyuri asked. "Because I have to. Don't get involved. It's better if you just let me go." Kushina said plainly. "Why do you have to?" Saiyuri yelled. "It's not your concern!" Kushina yelled back. "We've known each other forever Kushina! Don't tell me it's not my concern!" Saiyuri yelled back. "I made a promise Saiyuri and I can't break it! It's too late to stop me, so just let me go!" Kushina yelled. Saiyuri stared. "I can't just let you leave Kushina! This is your home! Where are you going to go?" Saiyuri yelled back. "I don't want to hurt you Saiyuri, so just stay out of it." Kushina said coldly. Her voice was like a sharp knife to Saiyuri's heart. "I'm not losing my best friend." Saiyuri uttered. Kushina sighed and disappeared. Saiyuri looked around frantically, that was when she felt a blow to the back of her head. Quick, sharp and to the point. Saiyuri felt herself losing consciousness. "I'm sorry Saiyuri. I have to go. I hope you understand one day." Saiyuri heard Kushina whisper before her world went completely black.

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Sakura made her way to the Yamanaka flower shop as quickly as possible. She knocked on the door and waited. It was Ino who answered. "Sakura! What are you doing here?" Ino asked. "Ino. Something bad happened." Sakura started. "What?" Ino asked. Confusion seeped from her very being. "Ino, Sai is in a bad condition. He was attacked earlier tonight. He's at the hospital now. Someone took him to Tsunade-Shishou's house. She looked after him, but he's still in a bad way." Sakura said softly. Ino nodded, her heart felt like it had been ripped out and stomped on. "Just let me get Sai some things and I'm coming." Ino said. Her voice sounded far away. She went into the flower shop, and Sakura followed. Ino walked around in a daze, she went into her room that she shared with Sai, and closed the door. Sakura could hear her pulling clothing out of a drawer. Sakura felt a shock, when something pulled on her skirt. She looked down to see Inoshi standing next to her. "Auntie Sakura what's wrong with Mommy?" He asked softly.

Ino must've heard him, for the next moment, the door was open, and Ino pulled Inoshi into her arms and hugged him desperately. "Inoshi, go and get dressed into some clean clothes quickly. We're going to the hospital." Ino said softly. "Why Mommy?" Inoshi asked. "Because Daddy is sleeping there and we're going to go and see him." Ino replied. Inoshi nodded and went into his room. Sakura watched as Ino woke Shiori and dressed her quickly. Then they were joined by Inoshi and the group set out towards the hospital.

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Itachi was worried. It'd been an hour since he was supposed to meet Saiyuri and she hadn't turned up. He started looking for her, and decided to go to the main path out of the village. That was when he noticed Saiyuri. Lying on the bench near the path. She was unconscious. "Saiyuri?" Itachi tried calling her to wake her up. Nothing seemed to work. _"I have to take her to the hospital."_ Itachi thought. At that moment, Itachi heard a groan. He sighed with relief. "Saiyuri? What happened?" Itachi asked quickly. Saiyuri looked at Itachi. Her face filled with sadness and fear. "Kushina knocked me out! She left the village Itachi! She's defected!" Saiyuri practically sobbed. Itachi bit his lip angrily. "Saiyuri, go to the hospital, and tell everyone what's happened. But give me a while. I'm gonna go and try to get Kushina back. If we're not back by dawn, then go and tell Uncle Naruto what's happened." Itachi said. "I should go with you!" Saiyuri exclaimed. Itachi shook his head. "No. If we both go and can't get her back, who's going to tell Uncle Naruto that she's gone?" Itachi asked. Saiyuri didn't look happy about it, but she nodded her acceptance. With that, Itachi was gone into the night and Saiyuri walked home, hoping that Itachi would find Kushina.

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Tsunade had worked on Sai for hours. She'd fixed all the internal damage, and closed the wound on his head. Now all that was needed was for him to wake up. Tsunade couldn't be sure that would happen. Sai had been damaged pretty badly, and the next twenty-four hours were crucial. If he woke up then he would be lucky. If not, there was little chance of him ever waking up. After telling Ino this information, Tsunade sighed and decided to go and check on Sasuke.

When she walked into Sasuke's room however, Sasuke looked extremely healthy. He was sat up in bed and looking out of the window. "Sasuke?" Tsunade asked softly. Sasuke turned to look at her. "Tsunade? I don't know what painkillers you've given me, but they're working. I haven't felt this good in ages." Sasuke said. Tsunade walked over to where the painkillers were administered and saw a completely different vial attached. "Sasuke, this isn't a painkiller. It's something else." Tsunade uttered. "What? It could be some poison or something." Sasuke stated. "No I don't think so. I think... it's the cure." Tsunade said gently. "How would a cure get to me just like that?" Sasuke asked. He looked a little peeved. Tsunade pulled the vial out of the catheter. She looked at it and then placed it on the cabinet. She started scanning Sasuke. "The disease is being driven out. Have you noticed anyone come in here who shouldn't be here?" Tsunade asked. Sasuke bit his lip. "Kushina was here earlier last night. I thought it was odd that she was here. She said she was sure I'd get better soon. But there's no way she could have a cure. She's a child, and she wouldn't know how to find a cure, or who to get it from." Sasuke stated. Tsunade looked out of the window at the rising sun, wandering how all of this happened.

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Nawaki arrived in Naruto's office. Naruto had moved to his office once he'd had news of Sai. Naruto stared at Nawaki, hoping against hope. "I've been searching for Kushina all night. I haven't found a trace of her." Nawaki said. "That's because she isn't in the village!" The two men turned to see Saiyuri. She looked suitably cowed by the men's glares. "Saiyuri what are you talking about?" Nawaki asked. "I'm sorry Nawaki-Sensei. She left late last night. I tried to stop her but she knocked me out. Itachi and I were looking for her since early last night." Saiyuri stated. "You were the one at the door when Itachi said it was a prankster. Kushina lied when she said she was staying at your house." Naruto stated. Saiyuri nodded. "I didn't know. Itachi and I wanted to find her so she wouldn't get in trouble. We just wanted her to be okay. But I found her and she said she was leaving. She said she wasn't coming back." Saiyuri said. "What?" Naruto was confused. "She said she made a promise and she had to leave!" Saiyuri exclaimed. Tears streaked down her face. "If you knew this why not come to us straight away?" Nawaki asked. "Itachi asked me to wait until dawn. He wanted to see if he could bring her back. But he isn't back yet." Saiyuri said softly. Naruto felt his heart plummet into the bottom of his feet as he felt a terrible sense of déjà-vu.

At that moment, Sakura burst into the room. "Naruto! It's Sasuke! He's completely cured!" Sakura exclaimed. She looked around the room. "What's going on?" Sakura asked. "Kushina defected. She's abandoned the village." Naruto said blankly. Sakura's face went from confused to angry to complete desolation within seconds. She broke down in tears, as Naruto got up and pulled his wife into his arms. No one knew what was happening at this very moment between two friends.

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Okay all, that's the end of this chapter. But don't worry the next chapter will be here soon. Please R&R and tell me what you think.


	9. Unattainable

Okay, here's the next chapter of Redemption. I hope you all enjoy it. Also please R&R and let me know what you think 'kay?

Also I'd like to apologise to everyone for taking so long to update. I've been preparing to go to University, and while I'm proud of myself for getting an unconditional place to the University of Greenwich, I had to go to all sorts of meetings to sort out my financial life while I'm here. That and it's been a hell of a time actually settling in and just getting the right stuff. This hasn't left me much time to sit around and write, as much as I love it. So once again, I apologise for making everyone wait. Thanks for your patience.

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Redemption.

Chapter Eight – Unattainable.

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That very morning, Sasuke was talking to his two youngest children. Little Naruto gave Sasuke a picture. Sasuke looked at the picture, where he saw what appeared to be him, Naruto, Sakura, Itachi and Kushina, Hinata, Hikari, Little Sasuke and Little Naruto. There was a black mark on Kushina's neck. "What's that on Kushina's neck Naruto?" Sasuke asked. "It's her mark. I thord it was funny wen I sawed it. Kushina-Chan sed I diddin see it, but I did Daddy." Naruto said softly. Sasuke felt a terrible sense of fear come over him. Sasuke pulled down the collar of his own shirt. "Naruto, is this the mark you saw?" Sasuke asked, showing the child the mark on his own neck. Little Naruto looked at the mark carefully, and his eyes widened. "Yeah Daddy ids da same one. Exacly the same as Kushina-Chan's!" Little Naruto exclaimed. "Did you tell anyone?" Sasuke asked. Little Naruto looked at his father incredulously. "I tole you Daddy. Me and Sasu-kun thought it was a bruise." Naruto said softly. "Where's Kushina-Chan now Naruto?" Sasuke asked his son slowly. "She's gone. Anti Sak'ra was crying. Unca Nar'to dunno where she went, and Ita-Aniki went to look for her." Naruto said softly. Sasuke felt sick. A feeling of dread came over him. Would he be told his son was back with a Rasengan-shaped hole in his shoulder, like the Chidori-shaped hole he punched into his own best friend? He looked at his two youngest children and made a split second decision. "You two, I'm gonna write a note, and you give it to Uncle Naruto from me. Alright?" Sasuke questioned. The two children nodded and Sasuke wrote a simple note.

_Meet me where it started for us Naruto. That's where our two eldest are._

Sasuke signed his name and folded the paper. He handed the note to little Naruto. "Go and take that to Uncle Naruto straight away, with Hikari Nee-Chan. Okay?" Sasuke said softly. The two children nodded and left the room. Sasuke took the window to exit the hospital and disappeared within moments. He knew where he was headed. He prayed he wasn't too late.

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Sakura saw Hikari and little Naruto running around looking for someone. "What's wrong with you two? Where's your Daddy?" Sakura asked. "He wanted us to give this special note to Uncle Naruto, Auntie Sakura." Hikari replied. Sakura blinked. "Stay here for just a second you two. Uncle Naruto might be seeing how Uncle Sai is doing." Sakura said softly. The two children stood and waited for Sakura. She ran into Sai's room, and indeed Naruto was there. "Sakura, him getting injured is my fault isn't it? Kushina ran off and defected and I put Sai on the case to make sure that didn't happen. I should've thought about what would happen if they didn't want to give up on Kushina." Naruto said sadly. Sakura bit her lip anxiously. "Hikari and little Naruto are looking for you Naruto. They have a note for you from Sasuke. I don't know why. Did you send out any teams to look for Kushina and Itachi?" Sakura asked. Naruto nodded. "Two teams. They're searching in two directions and around, as far as they can. Shizune, Kakashi and Nawaki on one team and Mayumi, Dan and Sakumo on the other one." Naruto replied. He left Sai's room, with Sai's family fast asleep on a cot in the corner of the room, to talk to his own charges.

Naruto looked at Hikari and little Naruto, who stared back at him incredulously. "Uncle Naruto, Daddy asked us to give you this!" Hikari exclaimed. Little Naruto handed Naruto the note. Naruto opened it and his eyes widened. He looked at Sakura. "I've got to go Sakura! I'll be back!" Naruto made to run when he heard Sakura call back to him. "Naruto! Where are you going?" Sakura called out. "To the Valley of the End!" Naruto yelled back, as he raced out of the hospital. _"Please don't let history repeat itself."_ Naruto prayed silently as he sped out of the village after Sasuke, Itachi and his daughter.

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Itachi had caught up to Kushina. He'd known exactly where she was heading. _"She's going to Oto."_ He thought to himself. He'd chased her trail, until he saw her at the Valley of the End. It was a place his father had told him about. The place where his father, and Kushina's, had fought when Sasuke had defected to go to Oto. Itachi saw Kushina standing on the water, looking up at the great statues of the founders of Konoha. One was the first Hokage, the other was Madara Uchiha.

"Kushina!" Itachi yelled out. Kushina turned to look at Itachi. "Go back to Konoha Itachi. I don't want to fight with you. I have to do what I have to do. You can't stop me. So don't bother. Let's just say goodbye and leave it at that." Kushina stated softly. She turned back to look at the statues. "I can't just let you leave Kushina. Your whole family are going to be devastated. Saiyuri will have told them that you're gone by now." Itachi said. "I'm surprised it's you who came after me and not my father, or Nawaki-Aniki-Sensei. Although in another way, it doesn't surprise me. You knew where I'd be going. They don't have a clue." Kushina said softly. The roar of the waterfall didn't drown out her voice however.

"Kushina why would you go to Oto? Is the mark that much in control of you now?" Itachi asked. "No. The mark has no control over me. I'm doing this of my own free will." Kushina said coldly. "Why?" Itachi yelled. "To save your father!" Kushina yelled back. Itachi stared at Kushina in horror. "How? Why?" Itachi was confused, horrified and frightened at the same time. "Tsunade will tell you what I'm saying is true. Your father was poisoned with the virus that was killing him. The rogue medic-nin, Kabuto, had the cure. The creature that gave me the mark is half Orochimaru, half Kabuto. I don't know how but that is the way it is." Kushina said softly. Itachi stared at Kushina in shock. "He had the cure?" Itachi asked. "Your father didn't want mine chasing Kabuto down, trying to force the cure out of him. He knew that Kabuto would never hand it over and that my father would feel guilty forever because he couldn't save yours." Kushina added. "You... you got the mark..." Itachi trailed. "I never asked for it. I got it when I had my last report before the academy graduation exam. He kept trying to convince me to go. I refused. I found out by chance the Kabuto of Oto had the cure. I was listening in when I was stuck in the hospital after our first C rank. I asked him, and he said he'd give me the cure. In exchange I had to promise to go to Oto. I promised. My father and your father are men that will do anything to save the people they love. I respect and care about your father, and I love my father. Saving him, saves all of the people I love from pain. So I made the bargain. Now I need to live up to my side, and you need to let me go and do what I promised Itachi!" Kushina exclaimed.

Itachi shook his head in disbelief. Kushina, his dearest friend, was standing there, asking him to just let her go straight into the darkness. Her long red hair, whipped around like an out-of-control flame, and her blue eyes blazed like blue fire. She and Itachi faced each other down, before Itachi took up a fighting stance. "If I have to I'll break every bone in your body to drag you back home Kushina! It's where you belong! You'll be killed if you go to Oto! I won't let that happen!" Itachi yelled. Kushina looked at Itachi sadly. "If that's the way it is then I guess we'll have to fight it out. We'll see who wins. Me and my honour bound word, or you and your determination. Either way this isn't going to end well for either of us." Kushina said softly. She took up her own fighting stance, and the pair ran at each other. Another battle had begun, at the Valley of the End.

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Sasuke was speeding towards the Valley. He knew he wasn't fully recovered yet, but he had to get there and stop another pair of friends fighting it out. _"Let me get there in time. Let me get there in time. Let me get there in time."_ Sasuke kept repeating in his mind, over and over again as he sped on.

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Itachi threw punches and kicks at his best friend. Kushina in turn blocked them effortlessly. "Is that the best you can do Baka?" Kushina mocked. Itachi glared. "Why are you so set on fighting Kushina? Why not come back and let your father sort this out?" Itachi yelled. "Because I never go back on my word!" Kushina yelled back as she made a familiar handsign. Hundreds of shadow clones appeared around Itachi. "When did you learn that?" Itachi exclaimed. "Does it matter?" Kushina asked. "I suppose not." Itachi replied. Itachi charged at the clones with zeal, pounding them into poofs of smoke. He was soon duelling with Kushina again. He dodged a well-aimed fist to his head, and aimed his own foot to kick her in the gut. She dodged by jumping upwards and punched Itachi in the stomach.

Itachi gasped as he flew across the water, and landed hard in the icy cold river. He started sinking. _"If she's serious about fighting me, why isn't she using her Byakugan? She doesn't really want to hurt me. But if I don't fight her properly instead of trying to be easy on her, then I'll never bring her back home."_ Itachi thought to himself. He swam up to the surface and used his chakra to push himself up and out of the icy liquid, and to stand on the surface of the water. Kushina's eyes pulsed with the Byakugan. Itachi stared at her. "It's time to stop playing Itachi. This is serious. If it's a game, I'm in to win, and I'll have to stop going easy on you. If you carry on going easy on me you won't win." Kushina said calmly. Itachi glared slightly as he activated his Sharingan. "Gaki! I'm not playing a game!" Itachi yelled back. Then the pair charged at each other again, both fists meeting their marks, as they punched each other in the cheek. Both Genin flew backwards, Itachi into the cliff face surrounding the Valley, and Kushina into the water. Soon enough they were back on their feet and charging again.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sakura was checking on Sai. She saw his eyes start to flutter open. "Sakura?" He asked softly, as he focussed on the face in front of him. "Hey Sai. How are you feeling?" Sakura asked. "Like my insides were turned into a gelatinous mush?" Sai questioned back. "Ino's been here all night." Sakura said softly. "Is she alright? Inoshi and Shiori?" Sai asked blearily. "They're all fine. Ino was really worried about you. The kids think you're sleeping." Sakura replied. Sai smiled slightly. "I never knew what love felt like for a long time Sakura. It was thanks to you and Naruto that I learned anything about love at all." Sai said softly. "Glad we could help." Sakura told Sai gently. "I wanna talk to Ino before I end up falling asleep." Sai said softly. Sakura nodded. She walked over and nudged Ino awake. Ino looked at Sakura hopefully. "Sai's awake he wants to talk to you." Sakura said happily. Ino smiled widely and got up gently, so as not to wake her two children.

Ino walked over to the bed and gripped Sai's hand. "You baka! I was so worried! You could've died!" Ino exclaimed. Tears streaked down her cheeks. "I'm alright Ino. I'll be glad when I can go home. Think about the silver lining." Sai stated softly. "What silver lining?" Ino asked, intrigued. "I'll get some time away from work to recover. So we'll get to spend more time together." Sai said. A smirk crossed his face. An evil grin crossed Ino's face also. "I'm so glad I married you." Ino stated happily.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina and Itachi were exchanging blows. Their family bloodlines shone clearly in their eyes. Kushina dodged every blow that Itachi made, and he was speeding up to try and keep up with her. Both their bloodlines were allowing them to spot the moves they were making. Kushina and Itachi stood apart on the river, breathing heavily. "I guess I don't have a choice. There's no going back anyways." Kushina said softly. Her voice filled with sorrow. All of a sudden, the mark on her neck started pulsing, the commas of the heaven mark started spreading like a plague across Kushina's body. Her face was marred by the black markings that looked like swirls of wind. All of her visible skin was showing the same markings, and Itachi knew that it was the same throughout the whole of her body.

The two faced each other down. "I won't allow you to run away from all of us Kushina." Itachi said softly. "If you can stop me, then do it now. Otherwise you won't have a say in the matter." Kushina replied calmly. Her voice was as cold as ice, her eyes showed no emotions. The two Gennins stared at each other, preparing to attack again. Kushina struck first. Her hand, sporting the Rasengan that her family were famous for, drove it's self into Itachi's chest. His own attack, as he held on to a kunai, managed to scratch across Kushina's headband. Itachi trembled violently at the pain that erupted through him. Kushina felt tears dripping down her cheeks as she lowered Itachi to the ground. Her tears dripped on to Itachi's face as she removed her fist from her friend's chest. She saw he wasn't moving, but she knew he was still alive even if he was unconscious

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Naruto could practically sense danger in the Valley of the End. He knew that he would be there soon, and Sasuke would be there sooner. He hadn't bumped into Sasuke yet. But he prayed he'd get there in time to stop his daughter from making the same mistakes that his own best friend had made. He carried on running, and saw the clouds gathering.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"I'm sorry Itachi. I'm so sorry. I've chosen to be a monster. God save me Itachi-Kun. I'll never forgive myself for this day. But you'll be able to fill the gap I've left behind. You're a good person. Not like me. I did what I felt was right, but still I attacked you in the end using this mark." Kushina said softly to her unconscious friend. She washed the blood from her hands in the never-ending flow of the river. Then she removed her headband. She saw the scratch on it and gave a sad smile. "You deserve this more than I ever did Itachi. Look after them all for me." Kushina said softly, as she folded the straps of her headband and placed the ruined forehead protector on Itachi's stomach.

Kushina knelt down next to Itachi. Her red hair fell like a curtain over Itachi's face, and at that moment the heavens opened, and it began to rain. "You wanna know a secret Itachi-Kun?" Kushina whispered, looking into her friend's unconscious face. "From when I met you I knew we'd be friends. When we kissed by accident I wondered if we'd be anything more. But that's selfish of me when I'm leaving. So I want you to be happy when I can't be. Be the person my father and your father would expect, and make them proud, because I can't. Maybe we'll meet again. I hope not. I don't want you to see me as more of a monster then I already am." Kushina added softly.

She placed a gentle kiss on Itachi's cheek, as tears dripped from her eyes. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt as she stood up. She heard running footsteps from the forest as she stood up. She hid herself in the trees, and waited for the person to arrive. The person to break through the trees was Sasuke.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke was horrified by the sight before him. His first born child, his son, Itachi, was lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. Much the way he'd left Naruto when they'd fought as Genin in this very spot. He took note of the headband that had been scratched and left on Itachi's stomach. Sasuke looked up into the sky and felt the rain dropping on his face. Tears escaped his eyes as he looked down at his barely living son, and he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Naruto, who looked as saddened as he was. "I'm sorry Sasuke." Naruto said softly. Sasuke looked down at Itachi again. "I need to get him back to the village if there's any hope of saving him." Sasuke said softly. "I know. I'll look for Kushina. You get going." Naruto said. That was when the pair heard a noise in the trees.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto had arrived to the sight of Sasuke kneeling on the ground over a prone body. Naruto saw the tuft of dark hair, and realised it was Itachi who was lying on the ground. He was injured, Naruto could see and smell the blood even now from this far. He felt sick inside. _"How could Kushina do this to her friend?"_ Naruto questioned silently. He placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and said the only thing he could say. "I'm sorry Sasuke." Sasuke nodded his understanding. Discussing taking Itachi back to the village was painful. Naruto had told Sasuke to take Itachi back to the village and that he'd search for Kushina. That was when they'd heard a movement in the trees. Naruto saw a flash of red and darted after it. He heard Sasuke calling after him, but Naruto didn't stop. He knew if he did that he'd lose his daughter forever.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Naruto wait!" Sasuke yelled. But it was in vain. He saw Naruto vanish within moments. That was when another chakra signature appeared, and Sasuke saw Shizune with Nawaki and Kakashi. "You need to help him now." Sasuke said softly. Shizune looked at Itachi and gasped in horror. "Where's Naruto-San?" Nawaki asked. "He's gone after Kushina. I'm going to follow him. You're a skilled medic Nawaki. Itachi is your student as well, try and help him." Sasuke replied. Before anyone could argue, Sasuke got up and headed after Naruto. _"He's been there for me all this time. Through everything. I need to help him this one time."_ Sasuke thought to himself as he carried on quickly. He saw Naruto stop and stare at something. Sasuke then noticed what it was that Naruto was staring at.

Kushina was standing on a tree branch, looking down at them both. She had seen Sasuke. "I'm sorry Uncle Sasuke. I injured Itachi. I'm a monster, just like he said." Kushina said softly. "Who said that Kushina?" Naruto yelled. "The man that gave me this mark." Kushina said softly, showing both males the mark on her neck. "He said I'd let the hate grow inside me and I'd end up hurting someone I cared about and he was right. Still, I have to go and nothing either of you can say will be able to change my mind. I'm sorry Daddy. Like you, I can't go back on my word." Kushina said softly. She made handsigns then. Naruto's eyes widened, "Kushina wait!" Naruto yelled, but within moments, she'd used a substitution jutsu and she'd disappeared.

They looked around for hours, but they found no trace of Kushina. She had taken the chance to run, and neither of them had seen it coming. Kushina Uzumaki had gone to the dark side. There was no turning back now. Sasuke rested a hand gently on Naruto's shoulder. "We'll get her back Naruto. If you could get through to me, we can all get through to her. Somehow, we can get her home again." Sasuke said kindly. Sasuke looked at his best friends face and saw tears streaking down his face. The rain had finally stopped, but Sasuke knew, for Naruto it had just begun. They were once again looking for something that was unattainable.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay end of chapter eight. Yes I know everyone hates me right now. Kushina has crossed to the dark side and I am a horrible person. Although I'm still unsure of whether or not I'm going to bring her back to Konoha, we'll soon see. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please R&R and let me know what you thought.


	10. Aftermath

Okay here's chapter nine of Redemption. I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and added me to their faves and alerts lists.

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Redemption.

Chapter Nine – Aftermath.

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Kushina made her way to the 'Snake's Den' as she had dubbed it. She found Orochimaru and Kabuto waiting for her, still stuck together in the same body. "Well you did keep your word." Orochimaru said. Amusement laced his voice. Kushina glared. "Shut up bastard!" Kushina hissed angrily. Orochimaru smirked. Kushina yelped as her mark began to burn. "Don't think you'll have any independence here Kushina-Chan. You'll do as you're told and you'll obey me without question. The pain I can cause you through that mark can be never ending. Don't forget it." Orochimaru hissed. At this point, Kushina had fallen to the ground, and was curled into a foetal position, trying to stop the pain. Orochimaru smirked evilly. "Do you understand Kushina?" Orochimaru asked the girl. She looked up at him and glared. "I understand Orochimaru." She hissed back. She screamed as her mark burned more. "Orochimaru-Sama! Child!" Orochimaru corrected. "O-Oro-Orochi-maru-Sa-ma." Kushina gritted out. The pain stopped. Kushina got up from the ground and glared. "Good girl. Now my pet, you've got plenty to learn if you want to become stronger." Orochimaru stated in a snake-like slithering voice. Kushina bit her lip and let her head bow. Orochimaru seemed pleased, and Kushina followed him. _"I will get stronger, and then I'll destroy you, you old bastard!"_ Kushina thought to herself angrily. Hatred was already taking over this child's soul.

xXxXxXx ONE WEEK LATER xXxXxXx

Itachi was lying in a hospital bed. Hikari and little Naruto were sat in a chair together, next to his bedside. Sasuke stood on the other side of his bed, hoping he would wake soon. Saiyuri had been to visit several times, hoping that Itachi would be awake. Itachi had not regained consciousness since Itachi and Kushina had fought at the Valley of the End. Naruto had become a broken man. Many people wondered if he was fit to lead anymore. Sakura and Sasuke both glared at anyone who dared suggest such a thing. Losing a child was something any parent could find hard to deal with. Sakura felt her heart break every time she walked passed Kushina's room. She allowed no one to go in there. "When she comes back, she'll want to know we didn't replace her, and let anyone use her things." Sakura had told the children. The truth was she couldn't handle the idea that Kushina had really gone for good. She lived in hope that Kushina would walk through the gates any day now. Even though Sakura was not her mother, Sakura loved Kushina like a daughter. She knew she could never replace Hinata. She didn't want to, but she wanted to help Kushina, the way Hinata would had she been alive.

Today, Itachi finally opened his eyes. "K-Ku-Kushina-Chan?" Itachi questioned. The first words he said when he woke. Sasuke bit his lip. "I'm sorry Itachi. Kushina's gone. We couldn't stop her." Sasuke said softly. Itachi let a single tear drop down his cheek. _"I let my best friend down."_ He thought to himself sadly. "I'm sorry Father. I let Uncle Naruto down. I let Kushina down." Itachi uttered out. Sasuke sent his other children out of the room with a gesture. Once they had gone, Sasuke set to work trying to get Itachi to think straight. "This isn't your fault Itachi." Sasuke said softly. "Yes it is. I saw her mark in the Land of Waves. I should have told you. I should've told someone. She asked me not to so I didn't. I should've known that it wouldn't be long before Orochimaru found a way to get to her." Itachi whispered. "What are you talking about Itachi?" The two Uchiha's turned to see Naruto in the doorway. "Kushina told me why she was leaving." Itachi said softly. "Why Itachi?" Sasuke asked. He knew Naruto needed an answer. "She did it to get the cure for you Father." Itachi said softly.

Both men stared at the bedridden teen. "What are you talking about Itachi?" Sasuke asked. "She heard you talking to Tsunade-Sama in the office, the night we came back from the C rank and she was stuck in the hospital. She said she heard your conversation. That Kabuto would have a cure. She told me that the man that gave her the mark, gave it to her the day she got her last report from the Academy before her graduation exams." Itachi said. Naruto bit his lip. "She came home late that night, and we asked her why. She never told us." Naruto whispered. "She was scared. She thought as soon as anyone knew she'd be locked up and executed. She was afraid she was a monster." Itachi said softly. "Why would she think that Itachi?" Naruto asked. "Because the man told her that people with that mark don't get a fair trial. She tried to defend herself. She was just scared of what would happen if she told anyone." Itachi replied. "She told you." Sasuke stated. "I found out about it. I thought her neck was injured because she was holding on to it, and I pulled the collar down, and saw the mark. I said that she needed to tell someone. She begged me not to say anything. I shouldn't have agreed. I should've told someone." Itachi said sadly. "You were trying to do the right thing for your friend Itachi. But what else did she tell you about leaving?" Sasuke asked softly.

"She told me that the man that had given her the mark was half Orochimaru and half Kabuto. She said he'd told her himself. She told me that he'd tried to convince her every way imaginable to come to Oto of her own free will. But she said she only agreed to go because she knew you'd never get the cure otherwise. She tried to get the cure and he offered it to her if she swore to go to Oto afterwards. She said that she promised and she doesn't go back on her word." Itachi replied softly. Naruto stared brokenly. _"It's my fault... I taught her that... I taught her that you never go back on your word. I taught her it as a nindo… Oh god! I practically handed my daughter on a plate to Orochimaru!"_ Naruto thought in horror. "I'm sorry Uncle Naruto. I tried to get her to change her mind, but she refused to go back on her word. She said she had to get the cure for my Father because she said she cared about my Father and respected him, and all the people she loves most in the world would be hurt if he died. She said that to spare them that pain she would do anything." Itachi said. Tears threatened to spill out of Itachi's eyes. He was pleading with Naruto, silently, for his forgiveness. Naruto looked at the boy and walked over to him. He wrapped his arms around Itachi and hugged him. "It's alright Itachi. None of this was your fault. You tried your best. You almost died. You're a good kid, and a good friend. We'll get Kushina back. One day, she'll be back." Naruto said soothingly. Itachi hugged Naruto back, hoping that what he said was true.

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Kushina was honing her Byakugan. She was alone in a dark training room, learning to harness all her latent abilities. She felt hate well up within her. _"I'll find a way to control the curse mark one day. When I do, Orochimaru is finished. I never promised not to kill him."_ She thought to herself. She used it as a mantra as she trained. It made her work on and on. She'd been training for three days straight, only stopping to sleep for a few hours, eat a little and use the bathroom. She trained constantly. When she dreamed, she dreamed about the family she'd lost. _"I won't forget them. I won't forget them."_ She chanted silently as she fought through her own backbreaking training. She refused to give up.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Later that day Itachi was sitting up in bed. He still had to stay in the hospital, as his wounds weren't fully healed. He heard a knock on the door and saw Saiyuri looking in at him. "I should've come with you. I might've been able to help." Saiyuri said softly. "Kushina wouldn't listen to anyone. We both did what we could." Itachi said softly. "We'll get her back Itachi. We'll both get stronger and we'll get her back somehow. Right?" Saiyuri questioned softly. "Yeah Saiyuri. We'll get her back. We'll do it somehow." Itachi replied. Saiyuri went and sat down on the chair beside Itachi's bed. The pair stared out of the window. Both prayed that Kushina was well at that moment as they watched the setting sun.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto was sat at his desk, doing his paperwork. He looked at the window suddenly. "Sasuke get in here Teme. I can't think straight being watched through a window." Naruto stated. Sasuke hopped in through the window and grabbed a seat. "I feel like I owe you Naruto. If Kushina hadn't found out about my cure, she wouldn't have sacrificed herself to get it." Sasuke said sadly. "No. She did what she thought was the right thing to do. If it had been me I would've done the same thing. I blame myself. I taught her to think about the people she loves most first. She did. It's my fault this happened. Hinata would be so damn angry at me." Naruto said softly. "Hinata loved you so much Naruto. Even before we graduated she used to watch after you. She believed in the same things you did. She wouldn't be angry with you. But she'd want you to get Kushina back. And we will do that Naruto. We'll get your daughter back somehow." Sasuke told Naruto firmly. Naruto smiled for the first time in weeks. "You're right Sasuke. We will get her back. The first thing I need to do is inform our allies that she's gone. Let them keep an eye out for her where I can't." Naruto said. He got about writing messages to Konoha's allies. Sasuke nodded, happy to see Naruto finally using his head. Naruto wrote messages to The Land of Waves, The Land of Tea, Hoshigakure, The Land of Waterfalls, The Crescent Moon Kingdom, The Land of Snow, The Land of Greens, The Land of Birds, and Demon Country. The last letter Naruto wrote was to Gaara, in Suna. Naruto felt he needed to explain everything to his old friend and fellow Jinchuriki in more detail.

xXxXxXx ONE DAY LATER XxXxXx

Gaara was sat in his office in Suna, when his daughter walked into the office. "Hi Daddy!" Ayuko said cheerfully. Gaara spared his only daughter a smile. "Where are your brothers?" He asked softly. "They're with our Sensei. I thought I'd come and bring you this." Ayuko replied happily. She handed her father a message scroll with the Konoha symbol on it. "It's from Uncle Naruto, right Daddy?" Ayuko asked. Gaara nodded. "Go and catch up with Hiroshi and Takashi. I'll tell you what the letter said later if it's important." Gaara told his daughter firmly. Ayuko nodded and ran round to his side of the desk. She threw her arms around her father's neck. "See you tonight Daddy!" Ayuko exclaimed. She then ran off out of the office. Gaara gave a small smile as he opened the message. As he read it, his feelings of dread grew.

_Hey Gaara._

_I know it's been a couple of months since I last wrote you. I hate to write to you on this note but it's important to let you know what's happening. My daughter Kushina, defected to Oto one week ago. We're not sure what places she may turn up in, and as my friend I can tell you she made the choice by herself. But if you see her, let me know._

Naruto went on to explain the full details of Kushina's defection. Gaara sighed. _"Looks like history does repeat itself."_ Gaara thought as he looked out at the sunset.

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Okay all that's the end of this chapter. I hope you all liked it. Next chapter, there will be a time skip. So we will be seeing Kushina again. What kind of person she'll be however, I'll leave to your imagination. Please R&R and I'll be updating soon.


	11. Reconnaissance

Okay, the next chapter of Redemption is here. I hope you all enjoy it.

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Redemption.

Chapter Ten – Reconnaissance.

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Naruto was sat in his office, two weeks after Kushina's defection. There was a knock on the door, and Sakura came into the office. "Naruto, Hiashi Hyuga wants to talk to you." Sakura said softly. Naruto nodded his ascent. Sakura left and only moments later, Hiashi Hyuga walked in. He looked at Naruto sternly. "I'm sorry to intrude Naruto, but when I heard about Kushina's defection, I felt there was something, that I thought you should know." Hiashi said softly. Naruto felt confusion. _"Hiashi didn't want me and Hinata to marry and all of a sudden he's concerned about Kushina?"_ Naruto thought to himself. "Please take a seat Hiashi-San." Naruto replied politely. Hiashi took a seat and fixed his clear eyes on Naruto. "Kushina came to the Hyuga compound to see me a week before she graduated." Hiashi stated plainly. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. "I know that you and I have not seen eye to eye. I'll admit now that I should never have placed the caged bird seal on my daughter. Her death affected me deeply. Her life ended with bad blood between us and for that I will never forgive myself. But by coming here, I hope to make things right. At least in some small measure." Hiashi stated.

Naruto nodded to show he was listening and Hiashi continued. "When Kushina came to see me, I was surprised by her advancement of the Byakugan. She has in fact reached a level that no Hyuga has ever reached before. She can use her Byakugan to see into another person's very soul. It's like she can read minds just by activating her Byakugan." Hiashi said seriously. "How do you know that?" Naruto asked. "When she had this new level of Byakugan activated, I asked her to read my mind. She managed to tell me things she shouldn't have known unless she had personal access to my mind. However she can't use this strange new level of hers for long. I thought it best to tell you, as in Sound, should she manage to extend the period of time, I'm unsure of the abilities that she could unlock. This is a form of Byakugan I have never seen before." Hiashi replied. "Why did she say she had come to you?" Naruto asked. "She told me it's because she wasn't sure what was happening to her eyes. She told me her mother had written diaries about how she had activated her own Byakugan, and Kushina told me she had followed them. But she said that her mother's diaries never mentioned anything like that, and she wanted to know what I knew about it. She's very like you Naruto. Forward and determined." Hiashi answered. Naruto nodded. "Thank you for telling me Hiashi-San." Naruto said softly. Hiashi stood up and made to leave to room. "Hiashi?" Naruto called. Hiashi turned around. "I want your word that you will never try to place the caged bird seal on either of my older daughters." Naruto said sternly. "You have my word." Hiashi replied. Naruto nodded. "If you would like, I can send Hinata to visit you." Naruto said softly. Hiashi looked at Naruto searchingly. "Why would you show such a kindness to me? I haven't ever been friendly to you." Hiashi asked. Naruto sighed. "It's what Hinata would have wanted. She would've wanted her daughters to know her family. Despite everything all she ever wanted was for you to notice her Hiashi. She truly wanted for you to approve of her." Naruto replied. Hiashi nodded. "I'd be happy to see little Hinata, and Kushina, when she comes back." Hiashi stated. Naruto blinked. "I'm surprised you didn't say _if_ she comes back." Naruto quipped. "You have a habit of getting what you want done." Hiashi replied. He left the office, leaving Naruto to his thoughts.

xXxXxXx THREE YEARS LATER xXxXxXx

Time had gone by in Konoha. Of course the years changed everyone. Sasuke still lived with Naruto and Sakura. He was loath to be parted from his dear friends after all the time they'd already spent apart. Sasuke was back on Shinobi duty and loving every minute of it. A year ago, Sakura had given birth to twins, a little girl with pink hair and blue eyes, who they named Chiyo, and a blond little boy with green eyes, who they named Minato. Sakura had had difficulty during the birth. In fact there was a worry that Sakura might go the same way that Hinata had gone. But Sakura had survived, and although Tsunade had had to perform a caesarean and hysterectomy, Sakura had pulled through. Now Sakura was no longer on active Ninja duty, but was a full time member of the Medical Corp. She worked with Tsunade, in and out of the hospital, as she also looked after little Naruto, little Sasuke, Chiyo and Minato, simultaneously.

Hinata had graduated happily, and was on a team with Tsume Inuzuka and Kenji Aburame, just as Kushina had predicted three years before. Mariko Akimichi, Rock Daisuke and Tenshi Hatake had also graduated as a team. Taiyuko Umino, Hinata's best friend, had also graduated and was on a team with two other boys. All three teams passed through to become Genin and nobody was too surprised.

Mayumi, Dan and Sakumo had become Jounin. They still went on missions together as a team. Naruto had influenced them greatly. Mayumi had started dating Sakumo, which hadn't surprised Naruto in the slightest. It had, however, shocked Dan, and it had shocked Nawaki. But of course, everyone accepted that with Mayumi spending so much time around her two male teammates, it was guaranteed she was going to fall for one of them.

Saiyuri and Itachi were still under Nawaki as a Sensei, even though they had become Chunin. They were determined to get stronger still. Nawaki never stopped helping them. Saiyuri had never changed the outfit she wore since her childhood. Although she had grown over the years. She was now five foot five and she had taken to tying her waist-length, silver hair into a braid, as her friend Kushina had used to do. Itachi dressed in a blue, sleeveless shirt, with the Uchiha symbol on the back. He also wore black Shinobi pants, fingerless gloves and ninja sandals. He wore a black long coat over his new get up, with the Uchiha symbol on the back. His hair looked very like his father's even if it was a little longer, and he'd grown to a tall six foot exactly. Saiyuri and Itachi had honed their own skills well, hoping for their chance to get their third member back on their team.

Kasumi, Nobu, Shiori and Kyo, had all just started the academy. Of course that didn't stop them all getting up to unusual pranks, with Kasumi, usually the ring leader. Her cute grin usually put Naruto off, when it came time to deal out punishments. Although he was still hard on the children when he had to be.

Hizashi, Shikariko, Chouzin and Inoshi, were all very well ingratiated into the Ninja Academy system. They were quite happy to do their studies and keep up with everyone else. Shikariko kept the boys in line most of the time. Hikari was in the year above them, and also worked hard. She never stopped studying.

Keido and his ninja dog, Hakuri, along with Hoshiko and Tamiko, were Chunin under Konohamaru, as a Sensei, and it's with them we start this phase of the story.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Keido was at the rear of his three man squad. Hoshiko was in front, using her Byakugan to see what was going on ahead of them. Tamiko's golden eyes swivelled around, looking at the area from side to side. Keido walked with Hakuri next to him, sniffing around, making sure that the area was clear. Konohamaru was next to Tamiko, helping her keep an eye on the general area. They were in Rice country, and ambushes were rife on Konoha Ninja. Soon night fell, and the group were forced to make camp.

Keido looked at Konohmaru curiously. "Sensei, what are we looking for out here?" Keido whispered. "There are reports that Kushina Uzumaki was seen around this area. Jiraiya-Sama came out as an intelligence spy to poke around. But he didn't come back. Hokage-Sama is worried. Jiraiya-Sama, is not only one of the legendary Sannin, but he's a master spy. For him to not return, without any form of communication, there must be something wrong." Konohamaru replied seriously. Konohamaru had grown considerably from the pint-sized academy student that he'd been when he'd first met Naruto. He was older, wiser, and more aware of everything around him.

Hoshiko stared at Konohamaru in surprise. "If this is to do with Kushina-Chan shouldn't Saiyuri and Itachi be told?" Hoshiko asked softly. "They're on a mission. Hokage-Sama had to send us straight away. They'll be arriving as our back up after they've finished their mission." Konohamaru replied. The group remained silent, and soon, the three Chunin were sleeping. Konohamaru stayed awake to keep watch first. He wondered how this mission would go.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Orochimaru glared as he looked at Kabuto. "There is no chance of taking her body then?" Orochimaru asked. "None. Her bloodline attacks all intruders. If you tried to take over, then she would surely overcome you as Sasuke did." Kabuto stated. Orochimaru nodded. "I understand completely Kabuto. But I have another theory. I'd like you to check it out for me." Orochimaru stated. "What would you like me to do Orochimaru-Sama?" Kabuto asked.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Konohamaru, and his squad, carried on through the forests of Rice Country, heading towards Oto. None of them were prepared when they were ambushed. They felt terrible pain in their heads, and then fell into the darkness of their own minds.

A black cloaked figure came out of the trees, with a group of ten Sound Ninja. A fingerless-gloved hand tentatively stroked the growling ninja hound. "Hakuri, it's okay. I won't let anything bad happen." A female voice whispered to the white dog, gently. Hakuri stopped growling and sniffed the offered hand tentatively. "We need to take them to Orochimaru-Sama." One of the ninja stated coldly. The female turned to the ninja and glared. "Who are you to question me? I'll take them where I want in my own sweet time!" The female hissed. The man grabbed hold of his head, yelling in pain. "Please! Stop! Mercy! I beg you Mistress!" The ninja screamed. He held on to his head, digging his fingers into his skull, trying to stop it from hurting. He was kneeling on the ground now, the pain too much for him to stand. The other ninja looked frightened. Just as quickly as it had started, it stopped. The ninja knelt before the woman, whose face had yet to be revealed. "I'm sorry Mistress. I will not question you again." The Ninja said softly. "Good." The female hissed. "We will be taking them to my personal prison cell." The girl added. The Ninja nodded and began lifting up the four ninja. "Be careful with them." The female hissed. The Ninja did as they were told. The female looked at the group. _"What are you all doing here?"_ She thought to herself sadly as they left the scene. The only thing that showed they'd been there was a small pendant that had been worn by Hoshiko. It was a tiny star-shaped diamond on a silver chain. It was barely noticeable, but it would be recognised by Konoha's allies.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jiraiya was an old man. Even so, he knew exactly why he was in this situation. Simply because he wanted to help his student to find his child. Now he was locked up in a dungeon. "I wonder if Kushina knows I'm here." Jiraiya wondered to himself. That was when his old teammate wandered into the room. Kabuto followed him, the two of them finally separated. "Jiraiya. It's been a long time hasn't it _old friend_ how has life been treating you?" Orochimaru hissed. "It was treating me fine until you showed up." Jiraiya stated. Orochimaru and Kabuto smirked. "You were looking for Kushina-Kun. Weren't you Jiraiya? She's certainly grown up. She's very pretty. On the other hand, she's just as deadly. A perfect tool to keep at my side." Orochimaru stated. "I would've thought you would've tried to take over her body by now." Jiraiya spat back. Orochimaru laughed. "Now, now Jiraiya, why distort the perfect weapon. If I take her over, I won't be able to use her remarkable gifts. For a Byakugan user, she has some extraordinary talents. Reading people's minds, crushing their spirits, killing them without touching them. The Sharingan just sees, but Kushina can use her opponent's mind to create images of their worst fears, to kill them." Orochimaru told Jiraiya. An evil smirk crossed his face. "Why tell me this?" Jiraiya asked. "Simply because you won't be alive long enough to repeat what I'm telling you. You, the great purveyor of information, I thought you might appreciate some more before you die." Orochimaru told Jiraiya. Jiraiya smirked. "Well it's obvious that you couldn't take over her body and use her bloodline. If you could you already would've done. So what's stopping you _old friend_ huh? She too strong for you to control, like Sasuke was?" Jiraiya mocked. "It's simple. The warp in her bloodline can't be used by anyone else. A shame, as it would've made a great addition to my selection of jutsu. But you see, I have better plans for Kushina-Kun. You won't live long enough to see them come to fruition. You won't get to see the monster born from a monster." Orochimaru hissed out. Jiraiya's eyes widened in horror as Orochimaru turned to leave, Kabuto following. "What are you talking about?" Jiraiya yelled. Orochimaru and Kabuto left. Leaving Jiraiya to his thoughts.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The female, had Keido, Tamiko, Hoshiko and Konohamaru, sat on chairs, their hands restrained. The ten ninja who'd helped her bring them there looked at her curiously. "Leave." She said flatly. "But Mistress?" Another Ninja begun before he stopped. He remembered what had happened to his comrade. "What?" The female asked. "Nothing Mistress." The Ninja replied. The others left. The female smirked to herself as she stared at the captive leaf ninja. Hakuri looked cowed as she sat next to her master whining. The female stared at the leaf ninja. Her eyes changed from a startling cerulean blue, to a clear white, then from white to blood red......

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Keido, Tamiko, Hoshiko and Konohamaru awoke to darkness. "Where are we?" Tamiko asked softly. In the three years since Tamiko had become a Genin, and progressed as a Kunoichi, she'd never seen anything like this. "I don't know. The last thing I remember is blinding pain." Hoshiko replied. "We were knocked out by the pain. I don't know how long we've been unconscious for." Konohamaru stated. He looked as nervous as the others. "Hey! Where's Hakuri?" Keido yelled. That was when they heard a voice speaking to them.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The female sat staring at her unconscious captives. She started asking questions. "What are you here for? Don't bother lying because you're in a realm of my creation." She stated.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Keido glared when he heard the voice. It was loud and booming. "Is this even your real voice?" Tamiko asked. "Would it make a difference to your situation if it was?" The voice asked. "Not really." Tamiko muttered. "So answer my questions." The voice stated. "I'm not answering any questions until you tell us what happened to Hakuri!" Keido yelled. The voice changed then. "Keido I wouldn't hurt Hakuri. She's fine. In fact you're all still unconscious. I want to know what you're all doing here." Keido's eyes went wide. "Kushina!" Hoshiko yelled.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The female, Kushina, sighed deeply. She hated to use this power on her friends, once comrades. But of course it was the only way that her new 'comrades' wouldn't know what they told her.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"I will tell them you're just lost. We'll leave you behind unconscious, and you'll wake up after we're gone. But I need you to tell me what's so important that you're willing to traipse through Rice Country for it." Kushina stated. Her voice no longer booming. "Jiraiya is missing Kushina. Intelligence said you were here and he volunteered to come and see if he could find you. However, the last report we had from him, said he was in Rice Country. He was supposed to report back to Konoha a week ago, but there has been no communication since then. As you can well imagine, everyone is worried about him Kushina." Konohamaru replied.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina felt a tear drop down her cheek as she carried on her mental interrogation. She decided to speak to them silently, to keep her words a secret from her new 'comrades' in hope she could learn more.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"You need to leave here. I'll find him and get him back to Konoha one way or another. Even if the worst has happened, I'll still bring his body to the gates." Kushina said softly. "We can't leave our mission." Hoshiko stated. "Do what you want, but Orochimaru's spies are everywhere. I hope to find Jiraiya Jii-Chan before Orochimaru kills him. I know what Orochimaru is like. There's no need to try and imagine the best scenario, because there isn't one. If you get him back alive then you'll be lucky." The voice cut off, and they were once again separate and still in the darkness.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina's eyes went back to their normal blue. She never once removed her hood. She left the tent, Hakuri sat near Keido still, waiting for her master to wake. Kushina stared at the ten Ninja she'd been forced to bring with her. "They're just lost. They were on survival training and wondered off from the path. A bunch of Konoha Genin with no brains. We're close to the border. We'll leave them here. They'll find their way over the border into Fire Country again." Kushina stated coldly. "Yes Mistress." The Ninjas stated. With that the group left.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Only minutes later, Keido woke from unconsciousness. He was still tied to a chair. Hakuri was sat next to him. "Hakuri, was Kushina here?" He asked. The dog yipped happily. Keido grinned. "She still cares about all of us." Keido said softly. "Hakuri, can you chew through my ropes girl?" Keido asked. The dog gave another yap. "Great!" Keido exclaimed. Hakuri got to work on his bonds, chewing through them rapidly.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi and Saiyuri, leapt through the trees behind Nawaki-Sensei. "We're late as it is Sensei. We need to hurry up!" Saiyuri exclaimed. Itachi caught a glimpse of something glinting. "Stop you guys. I see something." Itachi stated seriously. The group landed on the ground. There, lying in the grass was a star-shaped diamond pendant. "It's Hoshiko's." Saiyuri confirmed. "They've been captured." Itachi added. "She could've dropped it." Nawaki quipped. "No, her mother gave it to her when she was little, she'd never just drop it." Saiyuri shot back. Nawaki nodded. "So we can only assume they've been captured. We need to be careful about the route we take, and try to get them back." Nawaki said softly. The other two nodded and the group were leaping through the trees again within moments.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina was searching through the dungeons of Orochimaru's underground lair. She heard the sounds of Orochimaru's laughter. _"That sick freak."_ Kushina thought to herself as she carried on. _"I have to find Jiraiya Jii-Chan. I can't let my father lose anyone else close to him."_ Kushina added silently.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hoshiko, Keido, Tamiko and Konohamaru were leaping through the trees with Hakuri, hoping to meet up with their reinforcements. Hoshiko had a sad look on her face. "What's wrong Hoshiko-Chan?" Tamiko asked softly. "My necklace is gone. The one my parents gave me. It must've fallen off in the struggle earlier." Hoshiko whispered back. "Talking about this necklace." The group heard a familiar voice. They all looked at Itachi, Nawaki and Saiyuri. It was Itachi that spoke. He was holding up the glinting diamond star, dangling from his hand. "Itachi! You found it!" Hoshiko exclaimed as she took it from him gently. She placed it in a pouch on her right thigh. "I'm not losing it again." Hoshiko stated. "What happened to you guys?" Saiyuri asked. "We got captured." Tamiko said softly. "How the hell did you get away? Are there Sound Shinobi after you?" Nawaki asked. "No. It was Kushina that caught us." Hoshiko replied. "What?" Itachi and Saiyuri asked at the same moment. "Kushina was the one that caught us and she let us go. She told her comrades that we were lost during survival training, a bunch of rank Genin." Keido stated. "She was protecting you." Saiyuri quipped softly. "There's still hope for her." Nawaki added. Itachi didn't say a word. "We need to get going. Kushina told us that if Jiraiya's been caught he'll be lucky if she finds him alive." Konohamaru stated. "How did she tell you all of this?" Itachi asked "We'll explain on the way. We just need to hurry." Hoshiko replied. With that, the group were off.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kabuto and Orochimaru were sat in one of the labs. "You do realise that your two old teammates have been married for over twenty years now Orochimaru-Sama?" Kabuto questioned. "Really? Actually I didn't know. Nice of them to invite their old friend to the wedding." Orochimaru quipped. "They have two children. Their eldest child is your pet's former Sensei." Kabuto stated. Orochimaru smirked. "Well, let's finish Jiraiya in front of an audience shall we Kabuto? I know Jiraiya is a man that loves a good show. My last respects to an old friend." Orochimaru replied. Both males smirked at the thoughts running through their minds.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jiraiya was still chained to a wall. He was trying to figure out a way to escape before Orochimaru and Kabuto came back to finish him off. That was when his cell door opened. "Come to kill me already Orochimaru?" Jiraiya spat out. The form that walked into the room, was not Orochimaru, nor was it Kabuto. Jiraiya's eyes went wide, when the figure revealed herself, only dropping her hood for a moment.

"Kushina? What are you doing here kid?" Jiraiya asked softly. "I'm here to free you. I won't let Orochimaru take anyone else my father cares about. He got my promise to stay in Oto. Obedience isn't a part of the package." Kushina stated softly. She used an escape jutsu to release the chains, and Jiraiya dropped. He would've fallen to the floor, if not for Kushina, who stood next to him and supported him. "Kushina, you should come home. Your father's been a broken man since you left. They all miss you so badly kid." Jiraiya said softly. "I know. But I gave my word. I don't go back on it." Kushina said softly. "Your father curses the day he taught you that saying." Jiraiya quipped. "I believe in it. It doesn't matter how much my father curses it. He believes in it too or he wouldn't have taught me such a value." Kushina replied gently. Jiraiya bit his lip as he felt pain shoot through his body. Kushina saw the wince and stopped, leaning Jiraiya against the wall. Her hands began to glow with green chakra. She started healing Jiraiya's wounds.

"So you've been learning medical ninjutsu?" Jiraiya asked. "I remembered how Auntie Sakura did it. I don't know if it'll be perfect, but it should help enough with the pain to let you get home." Kushina replied. Jiraiya sighed. "You miss them too don't you?" Jiraiya asked. Kushina nodded. Jiraiya saw a single glistening tear drop fall and hit the ground. "Every day Jiraiya Jii-Chan. I miss them every day." Kushina replied. "Sakura gave birth to a set of twins a year ago Kushina. A boy called Minato and a girl called Chiyo. You have a new little brother and sister." Jiraiya said softly as Kushina healed him. More tears fell from Kushina's eyes to hit the stone floor. "Sakura almost died during the birth. Tsunade performed a caesarean and a hysterectomy at the same time. Sakura was lucky to survive." Jiraiya added. "Stop it!" Kushina almost yelled. Tears streaked down her cheeks fiercely. "You think it doesn't hurt every day Jii-Chan? You think I don't want to see my new baby brother and sister? You think that I don't care about my family? My friends? It hurts so much that I hate myself and I wish to whatever power in heaven that I could die here and now! But I never do! I go on living this hateful existence as Orochimaru's damned pet! The monster with a leash marked on its neck!" Kushina exclaimed. Her hurt and pain flooding out. Jiraiya looked at the fifteen year old girl, who seemed so much older. "Kushina, forget Orochimaru. He never keeps his word. Just come back with me kid. No one blames you, everyone wants you home desperately. Hell, Sakura keeps your room like a shrine, praying for the day you come home." Jiraiya stated. Jiraiya saw the girl's hands shaking as she healed him. All her emotions, being held at bay, and then the green glow subsided. "We'd better get going. I need to show you the way out." Kushina said softly.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kabuto and Orochimaru were on their way to Jiraiya's cell when they saw Jiraiya with Kushina. "It's not nice to steal toys from your master Kushina-Kun." Orochimaru hissed. Kushina glared from under her hood. "It's not nice for you to steal people from my old home. Haven't you got better things to do then rob my old home of its Shinobi?" Kushina asked cheekily. "You'd better be prepared for a punishment like you've never had Kushina." Orochimaru hissed back.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

As the team from Konoha approached an arid cliff face, an explosion came up from the ground. "Move back!" Nawaki yelled. The group were on high ground when the ground imploded. They were all coughing through the dust, but once it cleared, they were awed by what they saw. A black hooded figure, with Jiraiya on one side, and Orochimaru and Kabuto on another. The group were stuck waiting for a move to come from either side. "Dad!" Nawaki yelled out. Jiraiya turned to look at him, and gave his son a reassuring smile. "Well 'old friend' finding out that you have two children was an interesting experience. And with Tsunade no less. Pathetic that the two of you produced such weak offspring." Orochimaru stated. Jiraiya glared. "Shut up Orochimaru. Even if my children were weak, which they're not, at least I was human enough to create a family. You're too absorbed with immortality to smell mortality knocking at your door 'old friend'! Or do you think you can really live forever?" Jiraiya asked. "My little pet will be punished for helping you 'old friend' you can be sure of that." Orochimaru hissed.

Itachi glared. "People aren't your pets!" Itachi yelled. "Why don't you show your face Kushina-Kun and prove how loyal a little pet you are!" Orochimaru ordered. The group were shocked to see the figure removing her cloak, to reveal their old friend, Kushina Uzumaki.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay that's it for this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please R&R and I'll be updating soon. In fact I've already written the next chapter. (nods) See ya next week all.


	12. Grief

Okay, chapter eleven of Redemption is here. Hope you all enjoy it. I'm sorry I didn't update for ages. I've been so busy with University essays that I just haven't had time to breathe let alone write for my own enjoyment. Anywho, once again, I'm sorry for taking so long.

To my anonymous reviewer, loveless, thanks loads for reviewing. I hope you've enjoed the fic so far.

Oh and to all of you that celebrate it...

MERRY CHRISTMAS READERS!!!

I know it's late but I'm late for most things. Anyway, I hope you all like this chappie.

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Redemption.

Chapter Eleven – Grief.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The group stared up in amazement as the figure revealed herself. "Kushina!" Itachi yelled. Kushina had definitely changed. Her hair was still very long. It made a cascade of red all the way down to the back of her knees. Her long fringe was brushed to the side. She was taller like Itachi and Saiyuri. She was five foot six. She wore an orange corset, black, skin-tight leather pants, black leather boots and black fingerless gloves. She also wore a black, long-sleeved, short kimono, over her corset. It was tied in place with the usual purple bow that seemed to always be around the waist of Orochimaru's pawns. One thing bothered the group more than the new outfit, and that was the new scar that ran down Kushina's left cheek, from her temple, all the way to the corner of her jaw. She looked fiercer and more seasoned then they had imagined she would. "Kushina!" Saiyuri called out, trying to get her attention. "Kushina-Kun step away from my old comrade. It's time for his exit." Orochimaru stated. Kushina glared back. "No." She stated coldly. "I'll just have to make you." Orochimaru replied. Kushina grimaced in pain. A hand reached out to grip her neck. She was kneeling on the ground within moments, looking as though she were in agony. She still glared up at Orochimaru however. Her face never turned downwards.

"Well it seems you really want Jiraiya to live Kushina. So I can always change my mind about _who_ I kill today." Orochimaru hissed. Kushina's eyes widened. Orochimaru disappeared, and reappeared behind Nawaki. "Nawaki-Aniki!" Kushina yelled out fearfully.

Everything happened in moments. Orochimaru regurgitated his sword, he got ready to swing it. Jiraiya made a few handsigns. Then disappeared. Nawaki ended up next to Kushina, in place of his father, and Jiraiya was the one in front of the blade. The blade came down, straight through Jiraiya's heart. Orochimaru smirked evilly at the quick flow of his former friend's blood, hitting the ground. "DAD!" Nawaki yelled. His voice full of fear. Kushina trembled in anger. "You'll pay for this Orochimaru!" Kushina hissed. "Not by your hand brat." Orochimaru stated. He and Kabuto disappeared and Jiraiya dropped to the ground. Nawaki leapt down to his father's side. Kushina was far slower to move. "Dad, hold on!" Nawaki yelled. Saiyuri was trying to heal Jiraiya but it was having no affect. "I'm sorry Nawaki. I promised you I'd be coming home. Sorry I'm leaving you to explain things to your mother." Jiraiya whispered softly. His energy seemed drained. Nawaki knelt down next to his father, and cradled him gently in his arms. "Dad, we'll get you back to the village! We'll get help! You're gonna be fine Dad!" Nawaki yelled frantically. Kushina was shaking with the pain she felt inside. "Tell your mother and sister I love them Nawaki. You have to be the man of the family now." Jiraiya said gently. He raised a hand up to brush a stray strand of silver hair, behind Nawaki's ear. "I'm very proud of you Nawaki. You and Mayumi are my proudest achievement. I want you to know that. Make sure to tell Naruto that this isn't his fault. He'll blame himself. I volunteered for this mission because he was like a grandson to me. I don't regret it. I was almost convinced I was going to die in my bed for a little while." Jiraiya said weakly. Nawaki had tears streaming down his face. "I love you Dad. You can't just die like this." Nawaki said softly. "We can't choose how we die Nawaki. We're Shinobi. If we're lucky we'll be remembered." Jiraiya whispered.

Kushina had made her way to the group and knelt down on the other side of Jiraiya. "I'm sorry Jiraiya Jii-Chan. I said I'd get you out of there. I failed." Kushina whispered. Jiraiya smiled up at her. "You're good at heart Kushina. No matter what Orochimaru might have said to you, your intentions are good. Find a way to break free of your demons and go home. You're needed there so much kid." Jiraiya said kindly. Kushina allowed tears to fall down her face. Jiraiya looked at Nawaki sadly. "My greatest regret is that I won't see your mother and sister one more time Nawaki. Don't make the mistakes I made. If you love someone, tell them. I waited years to tell your mother. Live life fully Nawaki." Jiraiya said softly. With that, the old Sannin took his last breath. At the age of seventy-three, Jiraiya was dead.

The group were stunned. Nawaki let out an animal howl of grief then slumped to sob over his dead father. Shinobi rules be damned, if you can't grieve over your own father, who can you grieve over? Kushina moved away from the horrifying scene, tears streaming down her cheeks. Itachi noticed Kushina moving away. "Kushina?" Itachi called out to her. Kushina looked at Itachi. "I'm sorry. I wanted to save him. I wanted to stop this. I tried." Kushina whispered. Itachi could see the pain that shone through Kushina's eyes. "I'll make sure he pays Nawaki-Aniki. I will make him pay. I swear it." Kushina said to her Sensei. With that she disappeared. The group all looked around, but saw no trace of Kushina, but the black cloak she'd left behind. Their mission was a failure.

The rest of the group left Nawaki to grieve with his father, as they found material to make a litter, to carry Jiraiya back to the village. They could at least bring his body back for a burial that he deserved. Not even an hour later they were done, and Itachi and Saiyuri were the ones to approach Nawaki. "Sensei?" Itachi said softly. Nawaki looked up at Itachi. His eyes filled with the grief he felt at losing his father. "We made a litter to carry Jiraiya-San back home." Saiyuri said gently. Nawaki nodded and he lifted his father's body to place it on the litter himself. That done, it was Nawaki, Konohamaru, Itachi and Keido to carry the litter back home. Saiyuri, Tamiko and Hoshiko guarded the group as they found their way into Fire Country again.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tsunade had just received a letter saying she'd won a jackpot prize in a raffle. She bit her lip hard. Mayumi walked into the room. "What's wrong Ma?" Mayumi asked. "I won a raffle prize." Tsunade answered blankly. "That's a good thing isn't it? I mean you're called 'The Legendary Sucker' because you lose all the time, so winning something is good isn't it?" Mayumi asked. "It's usually a bad omen when I win something." Tsunade replied. Mayumi was still confused. "Are you okay Ma?" Mayumi asked. Tsunade shook herself out of her dark thoughts and gave her daughter a weak smile. "I'm fine Mayumi. Where are you off to?" Tsunade asked. "I'm going to meet Sakumo and Dan. We're training with Naruto-Sensei today." Mayumi said softly. Tsunade nodded and ushered her daughter to go. "Go and have fun. Work hard, and tell that Gaki I haven't seen him for ages. He needs to come and visit me." Tsunade stated. Mayumi nodded and graced her mother with a wide smile. Tsunade wasn't sure why, but Mayumi's smile reminded her of Jiraiya for some reason. "I'll see you later Ma!" Mayumi exclaimed as she left the house. Tsunade still had a feeling of dread.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto went round to visit Tsunade. When she opened the door, Naruto could tell she was bothered by something. "Are you alright Baa-Chan?" Naruto asked. "I won a raffle prize today." Tsunade said softly. "It might be something silly like Mayumi cutting her finger in training. Don't make too much out of it Baa-Chan. It might not be as bad as you think." Naruto stated. Tsunade nodded and the two started chatting about regular things to try and take their minds off of the worst case scenarios.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Late that night, the group made their way back into Konoha. The night guards were shocked to see them carrying a litter with Jiraiya's body on it. "My God, we need to go and find Hokage-Sama!" One of them said softly. "We'll be going to find him. Any idea where he is?" Itachi asked. "He's at Mayumi's house with Tsunade-San!" The group turned to see Sakumo. Then Sakumo saw Jiraiya. He bit his lip. "I think I'll come with you." Sakumo said softly. He knew he might need to comfort his girlfriend, and teammate. "Sakumo, go and tell Naruto-San, and my mother and sister to come to the Hokage tower." Nawaki stated seriously. Sakumo nodded. "Not a word as to why. Just that it's important." Nawaki added as Sakumo made to leave. Sakumo nodded and was gone.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto, Tsunade and Mayumi had arrived at the Hokage tower with Sakumo after he'd told them that the retrieval squad had returned. Naruto walked into the office to see Nawaki, Konohamaru, Itachi, Saiyuri, Keido, Hoshiko and Tamiko standing there, looking like death. Hakuri was whining next to Keido. "What's happened?" Naruto asked. Tsunade and Mayumi looked at Nawaki and noticed some blood on his shirt. "Nawaki are you hurt?" Tsunade asked softly. "No Ma. I'm uninjured." Nawaki said blankly. Tsunade looked around. "Where's your father? Did you not find him?" Tsunade asked. "Yeah Nawaki-Aniki, where's Dad? He's not one to hide away!" Mayumi exclaimed. Nawaki trembled, as he bit his lip, desperately trying not to cry. "Ma, Mayumi, Dad's... Dad is..." Nawaki was shaking violently now, desperately trying to get the words out. "Where is he?" Tsunade asked more urgently. "He's dead Ma!" Nawaki exclaimed. Tears leaked out of Nawaki's eyes and streaked down his cheeks. He looked at his mother so sadly, that Tsunade couldn't deny the truth. Yet she still tried. "He's not dead. Maybe he's just being lazy, that bum! Wait till I see him!" Tsunade exclaimed. The group stared at the female Sannin. "He's not dead!" Tsunade yelled, shaking her head vigorously. "He's not dead." Tsunade added softly. "Ma?" Mayumi asked gently, tears streaming down her own cheeks. Tsunade looked around the room at the sadness in all the faces. She dropped to her knees on the ground and began to sob, like she hadn't sobbed in over twenty years. She buried her face in both hands and just let loose her tears.

Naruto knelt down next to Tsunade and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry Tsunade Baa-Chan. I'm so sorry." Naruto said softly. Tsunade hugged Naruto back. She couldn't help sobbing more, as she buried her face into Naruto's shoulder. This man, who she'd known as a little boy, who'd become family to her, was a needed comfort. Mayumi looked at Nawaki, the same grief reflected in his eyes that was in her own. She ran over to him and hugged him tightly, and both sobbed over their lost father. The rest of the group left the room, to let the family grieve in private.

Naruto turned to look at Nawaki. "Tell me it wasn't..." Naruto trailed off. He didn't want to say his own daughter's name in connection to the death of his old Sensei. "No. It was Orochimaru that killed my father." Nawaki replied softly. Tsunade stared at Nawaki. "I'll kill him." Tsunade hissed. "He seems to have got a new body. He's no longer sharing with Kabuto as we thought before. Kushina... Kushina tried to save him. Apparently she disobeyed Orochimaru to free my father. She wept when he died. She still has a heart. Orochimaru told her to step aside and she refused. So Orochimaru......." Nawaki trailed off. "What?" Tsunade asked softly. Tears still fell down her cheeks. "He came to kill me. Dad used... he used a... a substitution jutsu to swap me and him. I was supposed to be the dead one. He sacrificed himself for me." Nawaki whispered. Tsunade stood up. Even though the tears were still streaming down her cheeks, and it took all the effort she had to make herself stand. She walked over to her son, and pulled him into a hug. He was as tall and grown as his father, and looked so much like him, but Nawaki was still young. Young enough to blame himself for his father's death and Tsunade refused to allow him too. "Don't blame yourself Nawaki." Tsunade said softly. "He said his only regret was that he wouldn't see you and Mayumi again before he died. That Mayumi and me were his proudest achievements. That he loved us..." Nawaki sobbed out. "He told me to tell you not to blame yourself Naruto-San. He said he volunteered for the mission because you're like his own grandson, and he wanted to help you get your daughter back." Nawaki said to Naruto. Naruto nodded gently, tears fell from his own eyes. "I'm sorry Nawaki. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let him take this mission. I should've refused. Why didn't I refuse?" Naruto questioned himself, as he leaned against his desk, and looked down at the floor.

xXxXxXx ONE WEEK LATER xXxXxXx

The sky was grey at the funeral of Jiraiya. Tsunade, Nawaki and Mayumi were stood in the front of the crowd, which seemed to be so large that it was never ending sea of black. Many people were crying. Nawaki had to bite his lip to keep his face stern. He knew his father wanted him to be strong for his mother and sister. Sakura and Shizune stood with Tsunade, all the children gathered around them. Iruka stood next to Shizune, and Sasuke was next to Itachi, Hikari and little Naruto. Konohamaru was stood next to Sasuke's family. Everyone that Naruto knew was there, because they all knew Jiraiya. Naruto was stood in front of the crowd, trying to be strong himself. Even though he knew one face was always going to be missing.

"I know that everyone here knew Jiraiya. He was a good man, a great Shinobi and teacher, and a loved father and husband." Naruto started his funeral speech. He felt sick inside having to say all these pleasantries. They didn't offer comfort really and Naruto knew it. He looked at Tsunade, Nawaki and Mayumi as he spoke. Nawaki and Mayumi looked at the ground sadly. Tears streaked down Mayumi's cheeks. Tsunade looked right back at him. Her eyes told him to keep going. "Jiraiya was my Sensei for years. He was my father's Sensei before that. He taught me some of the most important lessons of my life." Naruto added. Nawaki and Mayumi looked up at Naruto, waiting for him to continue. "One of the most important things that he taught me however was that one day people will be able to understand each other. There will be a world where we don't fight all the time. It is a motto that I've followed since the day he taught me, and one I still follow even as Hokage. It was a dream of this one great man, that I one day hope to accomplish, and for that I thank Jiraiya for being the one to teach me. I'm more grateful to him than I ever let on. He was like a grandpa to me, when I didn't have family. I know no man that deserved that title from me more." Naruto ended. He looked at Tsunade. She smiled and nodded. "Is there anyone else who would like to say something?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade stepped forward. Nawaki and Mayumi looked up at her in surprise. She walked up to stand next to Naruto. "I knew Jiraiya from when we were little children. He and I were on the same Genin team, under the same Sensei, our beloved Sandaime Hokage. We fought all the time as children, and even as adults we would argue. But when I really needed him, he was there. To this day Jiraiya was my rock, whenever anything bad happened. Even now, I can imagine what he would say to me, to make me feel less pain. I loved him. I'll always love him. He made me the best person I could be, and I'll always be thankful for that." Tsunade finished. Naruto looked at Mayumi and Nawaki. "Would anyone else like to say anything?" Naruto asked softly.

Mayumi trembled as she walked up to stand beside her mother. "Jiraiya is my Dad. Not was. He _is_ my Dad. Because even though he's gone, and it hurts inside to know that I'll never see his stupid grin again, or hear him talking to my Ma late at night again, I know his spirit is somewhere, watching over us, and protecting us. I'll never stop missing him or loving him. I hope that he knows that. Wherever he is." Mayumi stated. Tears dripped down her cheeks. Nawaki went forward and supported his sister. "I was there when my father died. That hurt more than anything else I've ever felt in my life. But my father told me that we were Shinobi. That we can't choose how we die. That if we're lucky, we'll be remembered. And I will remember him. He was a great man. He always will be because to me he was more than a Shinobi. He was the best father anyone could have." Nawaki stated.

Several people said little things after that. Then people placed flowers in front of the casket. Tsunade, Nawaki and Mayumi were the first ones. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and their children were next. Shizune, Iruka, Dan and Taiyuko were afterwards. The crowd went one by one, placing white roses in front of the casket, and then everyone watched as the Sannin was buried. As the sun set, everyone left the cemetery to mourn privately and remember Jiraiya, the legendary Toad Sage.

No one had noticed that another interloper had been watching the funeral the whole time. The black cloaked figure jumped down from their hiding place in one of the many trees, and walked up to the casket. A fingerless-gloved hand dropped a white rose on top of the newly filled grave, and knelt down in front of it. The figure removed their hood, to reveal the face and fire-red hair of Kushina. Tears fell down her face as she stared at the filled in hole. "I'm so sorry Jiraiya Jii-Chan. I wanted to save you. I wish that I'd managed to properly. Why couldn't I save you? No matter how strong I've gotten, or how strong I'll continue to get, I just couldn't save you and I'll never know why. I wish you peace in the afterlife Jiraiya Jii-Chan. I know that you earned a place in Heaven. No one deserved it more then you." Kushina said, as though she were speaking to the dead man. "I'll come back to Konoha Jiraiya Jii-Chan. But I'll make Orochimaru pay for killing you first. That's a promise of a lifetime Jiraiya Jii-Chan." Kushina said softly. She stayed kneeling in front of the grave, saying her prayers silently, for a while. She didn't even know how long she'd been there for. When she stood and turned around, she was shocked to see Tsunade staring at her.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tsunade had felt like her heart was being ripped into small pieces all that day. Having to stand till the end at the funeral, and making the speech she had wished to make, had drained everything she had. But she found that once she had made sure Nawaki and Mayumi were safely talking to Naruto and Sakura, she had this need to go and see Jiraiya's grave. She felt as though she'd never be able to relax without making sure that it was alright. She got the shock of her life when she spotted the red flame of hair, on the head of the figure that knelt in front of her husband's grave. When the teenager stood up, and turned to face her, Tsunade knew for sure it was Kushina. The girl's cerulean blue eyes widened in shock to see Tsunade there.

"Have you finally come home?" Tsunade asked her softly. Kushina looked at her, tears streaming down her cheeks as she rushed forward and knelt in front of Tsunade. "Baa-Chan! Please forgive me Baa-Chan! I tried! I really tried! When I found out why the others were there I went straight to Orochimaru's dungeons to find Jiraiya Jii-Chan! I did find him! I freed him and we were going to leave! But his ribs were broken, and I stopped to heal them! Orochimaru saw us and he was going to kill Jii-Chan!" Kushina hugged Tsunade's legs, as tears dripped down her cheeks. "He wanted to punish me because I wouldn't step aside Baa-Chan! He went to kill Nawaki-Aniki but Jiraiya Jii-Chan used substitution jutsu and jumped in the way! I wanted to save him! I really did Baa-Chan!" Kushina sobbed out. Tsunade looked down at the teenage girl, who was on her knees before Tsunade. Tsunade pried Kushina's arms from around her legs, and pulled the tearful teen to her feet. She made Kushina look at her, by gently placing a hand under her chin. "Kushina there's nothing to forgive. This wasn't your fault." Tsunade said gently. Kushina looked into Tsunade's eyes, the tears dripping down the girl's cheeks. "If he hadn't come looking for me he would still be alive." Kushina whispered. Tsunade pulled the teenager into her arms. "Kushina you're not to blame. Orochimaru wanted to kill Jiraiya for a long time. He probably planned to at some point anyway. This isn't your fault sweetie. Just come back home." Tsunade uttered. "I'm going to come back Baa-Chan. I am. I need to keep my promise first." Kushina whispered. Tsunade looked down at the girl, who hugged her tighter. "I promised Jiraiya Jii-Chan and Nawaki-Aniki that I'd make Orochimaru pay for what he did. It's a promise of a lifetime Baa-Chan. I will keep my promise." Kushina said softly. Kushina backed away and within seconds, she had disappeared, leaving Tsunade to ponder over what she'd just seen and heard.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

There was one stop that Kushina wanted to make before she left Konoha. She found herself outside her old bedroom window. Nothing had changed. Her bed was made as always, her closet door was open, as she'd left it. Her scratched headband lay on her bed. She opened the window and snuck in. She placed an orange pack on her old bed. It was in fact the same pack she'd taken when she left for Oto. All her old things were inside it. That included the photo's she'd taken with her. It was these photos she removed from her pack now, placing them back where they had been before. On the shelf above he bed. She placed them gently, without a sound, moving them so they all looked neat. Then she removed her old clothing from the pack, and placed it back in the closet. She put the pack on the floor, next to the open closet, where it always used to be when she was a child.

She left the room, and heard two girl's voices speaking to each other. She listened carefully to the conversation. "Hinata-Chan, do you think Itachi-Aniki will come out of his room soon? He was so sad when he came home, and then he came out today for Jiraiya Jii-Chan's funeral and then he went back into his room." Kushina deduced that this was Hikari speaking. "I don't know Hikari. It's sad when a comrade dies. We all have to deal with it one day, and Itachi-Nii had to deal with it sooner than any of us. He was there when it happened Hikari. Give him time and he'll come out of his room by himself, okay?" Hinata replied. Kushina smiled, thinking that Hinata sounded exactly like their mother. "Are you going to see your grandfather soon? Hiashi-San is really serious all the time." Hikari asked. _"So Dad is letting Hinata see Grandfather? He must've told Dad I came to visit him. Maybe my leaving helped with something."_ Kushina thought to herself. She didn't listen to anymore of the conversation. She walked down the hall, and opened the door to see little Sasuke and little Naruto sleeping in their own little beds. _"They still share then."_ Kushina thought to herself. She saw the two children had shaken their bed sheets loose. Kushina walked forward, so silently that she barely heard her own footsteps. She pulled the covers up to tuck in Naruto, and then she kissed him on the forehead. Then she walked over to Sasuke and did the same thing. Only Sasuke woke up. "Kushina Nee-Chan?" Sasuke asked softly. "Go back to sleep Sasuke-Kun." Kushina said softly. "Don't go away Nee-Chan. I want you to stay." Sasuke said sleepily. "I'll be back soon Sasuke-Kun. I promise." Kushina whispered. She allowed Sasuke to hug her tightly. Then she tucked him in again and kissed him on the forehead.

She left the room and went to where the old nursery had been. In there were two cribs. One pink and one blue. Kushina held her breath as she walked up to the blue crib and looked in. There was her new baby brother, yawning and looking up at her sleepily. He looked at her cutely and lifted his arms up. "Kuku?" He asked cutely. Kushina picked him up and let him rest his small head on her shoulder. "Kuku." He said softly, and stuck his thumb in his mouth, drifting off to sleep. Kushina hugged him, and started humming a lullaby her mother had hummed to her when she was small. She then gently placed him back in his crib, and tucked him in. She placed a kiss on his forehead, and then looked into the pink crib. Her new sister stared up at her too. "Kuku!" The little girl chirped, and then giggled. Kushina picked her up and walked around the room with her for a little while humming the same tune. Chiyo stared at her for the longest time. "Kuku pitty!" Chiyo said happily, hugging her around the neck. Soon Chiyo was also sleeping. Kushina placed her back in her crib, and like she'd done with Minato, she tucked Chiyo in and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Kuku means Kushina you know."

Kushina spun round to see Itachi leaning in the doorway. "Auntie Sakura and Uncle Naruto show them your picture all the time. But they can't say Kushina properly yet so they call you Kuku." Itachi said softly. "How did you know I was in here?" Kushina asked gently. "I have the baby monitor with me. I heard them start talking. Then I heard you humming to them. I just thought I'd let you spend some time with them. I knew you'd run if I came in straight away." Itachi said softly. "You always knew me well." Kushina replied. "Not well enough to dodge that Rasengan I guess." Itachi replied. Kushina walked up to Itachi slowly, and placed her hand over his chest, where she knew the mark would be. "I'm sorry Itachi-Kun. I never meant our fight to get that far." Kushina whispered softly. "I never asked you to apologise Kushina. I just want you to come back home. You belong here." Itachi whispered back. The two teens seemed to move closer together. "I'll be back soon Itachi-Kun. I need to keep my promise to Nawaki-Aniki-Sensei first." Kushina uttered. "You and your damn promises." Itachi whispered back. Their faces were so close that they could feel each other's breath mingle together. "I wouldn't be me unless I kept my promises." Kushina replied. "I heard what you said that day Kushina. It's strange how after you said it, I thought about it more." Itachi replied. Itachi leaned forward and their lips met, their eyes slowly slipped closed. Kushina's arms rose to wrap around Itachi's neck at the same time his arms rose to wrap around her waist. The unplanned kiss became deeper.

"We're back!" Kushina and Itachi shot apart at the voice of Sakura arriving in the house. Itachi looked at Kushina imploringly. "I will be back Itachi-Kun. I swear. Once Orochimaru is finished I'll be back." Kushina whispered. She opened the window of the nursery and made to jump out. "There's proof that I'm coming back in my old room." Kushina added, before she disappeared. Itachi was still standing in the nursery with a dazed look on his face. After all, a kiss from someone you always loved was not something that happened every day.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sakura walked into the nursery to see Itachi standing there with a dazed look on his face. "Itachi? Are you alright?" Sakura asked softly. She noted that the window was open. "How long has the window been open Itachi?" Sakura asked. She went and closed the window, and realised that Itachi still hadn't answered her. Naruto walked into the Nursery then. "What's wrong?" Naruto asked. Sakura walked over to Itachi and waved a hand in front of his face. "Itachi! Itachi? Wakey wakey?" Sakura stated as she waved her hand in front of his face. Naruto blinked. "What happened to him?" Naruto asked. "I have no idea. He was like this when I came into the room. If I didn't know better, I'd swear he was a love sick puppy." Sakura stated. A little amusement shone through her voice.

Naruto looked down into Minato's crib, and the boy opened his eyes. He looked at Naruto in confusion. "Kuku?" Minato asked. Naruto blinked. "Have you been showing them pictures today Sakura?" Naruto asked. "No. After I bought them home I went to meet you at Tsunade-Shishou's house." Sakura said softly. Naruto picked up Minato and handed him to Sakura. Minato looked at Sakura with confusion. "Kuku? Wan' Kuku!" Minato stated boldly. His green eyes flashed as he looked around the room. Naruto looked at Chiyo, whose eyes were also open. "Kuku? Wan' Kuku! Cheeyo wan' Kuku!" Chiyo stated. Naruto's eyes went wide. "Min'to wan' Kuku!" Minato stated. The twins looked at their parents with confusion.

Sakura took Chiyo into her other arm, whilst Naruto shook Itachi gently. The boy seemed to snap out of his daze. He looked at Naruto. "Why are the twins asking for Kushina?" Naruto asked. "She was here." Itachi replied. He was still a little dazed. "What do you mean she was here? Didn't you try to stop her from leaving?" Sakura asked. "She said she'll be back. She said she left proof she'll be back soon in her old room." Itachi replied. He still looked a little dazed. Naruto ran up the corridor to Kushina's old room and looked in. That was when he saw the pictures all placed neatly where they had been before. Naruto smiled widely. Sakura came to join him, as well as Itachi. When he saw the pictures he smiled and walked off into his room. Still in a daze. Sakura allowed two tears to fall down her cheeks. "No cwy mommy?" Minato said sadly. "Mommy no cwies." Chiyo also said. Naruto grabbed hold of the twins. "Kushina Nee-Chan is gonna come home you two." Naruto said happily. He hugged the two small children in his arms, with one thought. _"She's coming back Jiraiya. She's coming home."_

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Well that's the end of this chapter. I hope you all liked it. A bit sappy and sad, but there ya go. Please R&R and tell me what you think and I'll be updating soon.


	13. Twisted

Okay here's chapter twelve of Redemption. I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks to all of you who have read and reviewed and to all of you who added me to your faves or alert lists.

Also to all of you brilliant reviewers

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Now on with the chapter.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Redemption.

Chapter Twelve – Twisted.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina made her way through Orochimaru's underground lair. _"I'll break the bond that holds me here."_ She thought to herself. The hatred shone in her eyes. She knew that Orochimaru was weak now. He needed another body. But Kushina would make sure that there wasn't a body for him to use. Kushina felt hate well inside her at the thought that he'd killed Jiraiya just to hurt her. She soon found herself at a familiar door, with a kunai in her hand. She opened the door wide, only to find the room empty. Kushina was shocked. _"He couldn't have left unless he got a new body already."_ Kushina thought to herself. She felt the burning pain of Orochimaru activating her curse mark. The pain was getting worse. Far worse than the other times he'd activated it. She turned around slowly, painfully and glared at him. "You want to leave my side Kushina-Kun? I still have a certain service for you to perform first." Orochimaru hissed out, as Kushina felt the pain send her into unconsciousness.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kabuto looked at the teenager strapped to the table. Kushina's red hair, hung off the edge of the table, and her face was pale as she winced in her unconscious state. "Are you sure you want me to perform the procedure on the girl? She's only fifteen." Kabuto asked. "I've seen younger than her survive childbirth. I told Jiraiya he wouldn't live to see a monster born from a monster. Did you get what I asked you to find?" Orochimaru asked. Kabuto held up a vial with a black hair in it. "I took it from the boy's head when he was sleeping last night. Itachi Uchiha's DNA, just as you asked." Kabuto replied. Orochimaru grinned evilly. "Once my DNA is used to create a child, it will have her abilities and the Sharingan, yet it will still be susceptible to the invasion of my spirit. The perfect vessel. I'll kill my little pet once the child is born, and raise the child to be completely emotionless. That way it will have no convictions about what happens to its own body." Orochimaru stated. "It's your choice Orochimaru-Sama, but you realise that if Naruto Uzumaki finds out you killed his daughter and hold her child as a captive it will mean war." Kabuto stated. Orochimaru smirked. "There isn't a need to worry Kabuto. Just perform the procedure." Orochimaru stated. He watched as Kabuto prepared some tubes and vials, all whilst Kushina stayed unconscious and unknowing of their plans.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi looked out of his bedroom window. "What's wrong Itachi?" Itachi turned to look at his father. "I'm worried about Kushina. She wants to take on Orochimaru by herself. I just have a bad feeling..." Itachi trailed off. "Sakura told me you looked like a love sick puppy earlier. You love Kushina huh?" Sasuke asked. Itachi turned to look at his father with wide eyes. "I've known you loved her since the day the two of you met. Twelve year olds know what love is you know. I knew that Kushina's mother was in love with Naruto since childhood. Sometimes love just works that way Itachi. If you're worried ask your Uncle Naruto to send you on a mission to find her." Sasuke said softly. He made to leave the room. "Father?" Itachi called out. Sasuke stopped and turned to look back at his eldest child. "I have a bad feeling myself. I'm going to talk to your Uncle Naruto tonight." Sasuke said softly. Itachi let his father leave the room then without any more questions.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina awoke strapped to a metal table. She heard Orochimaru and Kabuto talking to each other. "Did the procedure go according to plan?" Orochimaru asked. "Yes it did. Kushina-Kun is now scientifically classed as a pregnant teenager. She'll be sixteen when the child is born. We'll know if the DNA we took from Itachi Uchiha has taken affect when the child is born." Kabuto stated. Kushina's eyes popped open wide then. "What the hell did you freaks do to me?" Kushina yelled. "Well, well, well. It seems that my little pet is awake. I'll explain it to you shall I Kushina-Kun?" Orochimaru said mockingly. "I asked Kabuto to combine my DNA and your precious Itachi's DNA, and insert it into your body. You are now carrying a child." Orochimaru stated. "What the hell are you talking about? I'm fifteen years old! I am not pregnant!" Kushina yelled. "Actually you are Kushina-Kun. Maybe not the usual way you would get pregnant of course, but you are pregnant." Kabuto stated. Kushina glared fiercely. "You sick, twisted freaks! What the hell are you thinking Orochimaru?" Kushina yelled. "Well the child you are now carrying, is part mine, and part Itachi Uchiha's. When it's born, it will be a mix of both yours and his abilities, with my DNA to make the child susceptible to my spirit. Then it will grow to be a perfect vessel for me. Emotionless and without feelings." Orochimaru stated. "What do you plan to do with me then?" Kushina asked. "Well of course you can't stay alive after the child is born. So I will have to kill you pet. But don't worry. Your little monster will know about the vessel that bought it into the world to serve me." Orochimaru replied. Kushina glared. "I won't let you do this!" Kushina yelled. "You don't have a choice Kushina-Kun." Kabuto quipped, as Kushina felt a pinprick in the back of her neck, and she felt herself fade into the blackness of her own mind yet again, to the sound of Orochimaru's laughter.

xXxXxXx THREE MONTHS LATER xXxXxXx

Naruto and Sasuke were sat in Naruto's office. Neither wanted to admit that something was deathly wrong. It had been three months and not a single, solitary piece of information had been handed in on Kushina. She seemed to have disappeared off the face of the world. Naruto's biggest fear was the maybe, just maybe, Orochimaru had been too much for his daughter to handle, and the snake had killed her. Another fear that plagued Naruto in his nightmares, was that maybe Kushina had decided to stay.

"Naruto if you give the order I'll go on reconnaissance for you." Sasuke stated seriously. The, now, Anbu captain was almost as anxious as Naruto was. "Look what happened to Jiraiya. I can't send you in, and see another body return Sasuke. He hates you more than anyone." Naruto said softly. Sasuke sighed. "I'm a lot younger than Jiraiya was. That and we need to know what has happened either way." Sasuke replied. Naruto nodded. "Okay Sasuke. I'll assign you the mission." Naruto stated. Sasuke gave his best friend a patented Uchiha smirk.

"I won't be back until I find out what happened to her either way. But I will send you weekly reports. That's a promise." Sasuke quipped. "You'd best leave tomorrow then. After all, Itachi, Hikari and Naruto are going to miss you. Also, if you see Itachi, Saiyuri and Nawaki together, I give you my permission to tell them about the mission." Naruto quipped back. Sasuke nodded. "Hopefully I'll pick up a trail quickly." Sasuke added hopefully. Naruto nodded and the pair were once again back to sitting in silence.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

That evening, Itachi wandered into the house with Saiyuri and Nawaki. Their Sensei seemed to have aged a great deal since his father's death. In fact, Nawaki was far more serious. He didn't really joke as he used to. Mostly, Nawaki had become quite stern. Itachi and Saiyuri had been waiting for so long for Kushina to come back that they were starting to lose hope. Although when Sasuke walked into the house after them, they knew something was happening.

"Father, are you going on a mission?" Itachi asked. "Yes I am." Sasuke replied. "Can I ask what mission?" Nawaki asked. Sasuke nodded. "Naruto said I could tell you three. I'm going on a reconnaissance mission to find information on Kushina." Sasuke replied. "Why can't we go?" Saiyuri asked. She was straight to the point as always. "Because this is an Anbu mission, and one person can move far more stealthily then four." Sasuke replied. Saiyuri lowered her gaze, looking troubled.

"We should've been given the choice." Itachi stated. "It's better this way Itachi. I'll be sending weekly reports to your Uncle. He'll know what's happening at all times. I'm going to do what I can to find out what happened to Kushina. At least we'll know if she chose to stay or if she's being forced to." Sasuke replied. "She didn't choose to." Itachi shot back rapidly. Sasuke nodded and then changed the subject. He didn't want there to be tension between him and his son.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina was chained to a bed, in a cell, in Orochimaru's dungeons. She had a deep seated hatred, not only for Orochimaru, but now for herself. She could feel a tiny bump, forming in her stomach. She had felt the child inside of her move for the first time only two days ago. She didn't want a child of hers to suffer at the hands of Orochimaru. But she also knew that in six months, at the most, if the child chose not to come early, that she wouldn't be able to do anything. She tried desperately to keep some hope alive within her. _"Please Dad. Please send someone to save me. Please God let my Dad know I need help."_ Kushina thought to herself. She'd been chanting the same mantra for three months.

Originally she'd been free, but she had tried to kill herself twice. She had nasty looking scars on her wrists, but she'd survived. Now Orochimaru kept her chained to a bed, where she couldn't do any damage to herself. The only time she was allowed to move was when Kabuto came to bring her food, and when he allowed her to exercise once a day. He had a chakra seal on her. She couldn't move more than a yard from him at any time, or she would suffer extreme pain. He always placed the seal on her before he unchained her from the bed, and removed it, once he'd chained her back. On several occasions she had to be sedated to make her amenable to being chained back to the bed again. She knew there was no hope unless someone came looking for her. Hence her mantra every moment.

Somehow she felt that someone _would_ come for her. Somehow, she prayed that this agony would be over soon. She just needed to have a little faith. No matter how twisted her world had become.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay this is where chapter twelve ends. I hope you all enjoyed it. Also I know I'm totally messed up. Anywho please R&R and let me know what you think. I'll update as soon as possible.


	14. Rescue

Okay all. Here is chapter thirteen of Redemption. I hope you all like it.

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Redemption.

Chapter Thirteen – Rescue.

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The next morning, Itachi had watched his father leave the house. He didn't notice that Naruto was watching from his bedroom window with Sakura. He also didn't notice that Hikari and little Naruto were looking out of the two smaller boy's bedroom window. All hoped for the same thing. Sasuke's safe return and good news about Kushina.

xXxXxXx ONE MONTH LATER xXxXxXx

Naruto looked at a picture that he had on his desk. It was a picture of Kushina and himself when Kushina had turned eight. Naruto remembered her asking why her cake couldn't be made out of Ramen. Now he was wishing he could see her again. After all, it was her sixteenth birthday today.

xXxXxXx FOUR MONTHS LATER xXxXxXx

Sasuke had been following up every lead he could think of. He'd caught a hair of a trail, a couple of times, but he also lost it. Kabuto and Orochimaru seemed to be covering their tracks well. That was until today. Sasuke had found one of Kabuto's regular suppliers of chemicals and other such things. Sasuke hadn't even needed to ask any questions. He had seen Kabuto speaking to the man. Following Kabuto was not a problem. Sending Naruto a message stating where he was, didn't take long either. He hoped that back up would arrive at the right moment. He knew that should he get caught out by Orochimaru and Kabuto, he would have problems. Any other time, killing both men would be no problem for Sasuke. Now however, he knew he had to worry about Kushina as well. While Sasuke fought one of them, the other could make off with Kushina, and hide more permanently. After all, they would know someone was following them then. Sasuke slept for a few hours, ate and waited until nightfall to make his move.

So now Sasuke was in a new, well determined, underground base. He was masking his chakra signature as he walked through the dungeons. He saw several people in agony. He saw the tortured and the dying. He knew he'd been searching for hours, when he came across something that disturbed him greatly.

It was Kushina. At least Sasuke thought it was Kushina. The red hair was the same. The face was the same. But she seemed to have gained weight. Of course Sasuke knew it wasn't just weight. He bit his lip as he saw that she was sleeping and chained to the bed in the cell. He picked the lock and went into the cell. He gently nudged the teenager awake. Kushina stirred, looking frightened. She made to scream, but Sasuke placed a hand over her mouth.

"Kushina it's Uncle Sasuke. I won't hurt you. You should know that." Sasuke whispered. Kushina looked at him as though he were a mirage. She made to move her hands but couldn't. She looked back at Sasuke with tears in her eyes. "Uncle? Is it really you?" Kushina asked softly. Her voice seemed hoarse. Sasuke nodded. He picked the locks on her chains and helped the girl to stand on her feet. It was at this point he noticed how big she was.

"Kushina, what happened to you?" Sasuke asked gently. "I came back here to finish what I set out to do. But he knew I was coming. I was knocked out. When I woke up they told me I was pregnant. That the child was part mine, part Itachi-Kun's and part _his _so it would be susceptible to _his_ spirit, and have the Byakugan and Sharingan. He said once it comes he'll kill me and raise the kid to be uncaring about its own fate. It'll be like an object." Kushina whispered tearfully. Sasuke gritted his teeth angrily. The idea that Orochimaru had created a child for his own benefit, made Sasuke feel sick to the core of his being. That he'd used a young girl to carry out that creation, made him feel sicker. But to think that the girl was his best friend's daughter, and that this new child would be his grandchild, was like slamming a knife into his gut.

"We're going kiddo. I promised your Dad I'd find out what happened to you. Now it's time to come home." Sasuke whispered. Kushina nodded, but when she moved from the bed, she nearly fell to the floor. Sasuke grabbed hold of her. He helped the girl on to his back and started carrying her.

"Mask your chakra Kushina. We'll be out of here and this nightmare will be over for you." Sasuke whispered. Kushina nodded emphatically and Sasuke felt her chakra signal lowering. As he carried her through the tunnels, he could see scarring on her wrists. "Kushina, what did you do to your wrists?" Sasuke asked gently. "I tried to take my own life. Twice actually. I didn't want _him_ to use me or any kid of mine for _his_ plans." Kushina replied. Sasuke could hear the note of pain in her voice, and while she never mentioned Orochimaru's name, Sasuke knew who Kushina spoke of by emphasis alone.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Orochimaru glared slightly in the middle of his conversation with Kabuto. "I think you need to go and check on my pet. She might have escaped her cage. I sensed her chakra move. Then stop suddenly. Maybe she found a way to get out of those chains, eh Kabuto?" Orochimaru stated. Both males smirked as they left the room.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke had managed to get Kushina up to open air. It was dawn now. Sasuke realised he'd taken far too long to find Kushina. It was only now, in the sunlight, that he realised how pale she had actually become. Her time in confinement had obviously left its mark on her. She had dark marks under her eyes, her face looked tortured. Her hair looked lank. Despite her obvious pregnancy, Kushina looked malnourished and ill. He placed her on the ground for a moment. He searched in his kunai pouch for a moment, and dug out a soldier pill and his canteen of water.

"Eat this Kushina. It'll give you some strength and drink some water." Sasuke said kindly. Kushina nodded and took the soldier pill. He heard the crunch of the pill as she ate it. He saw she was wearing a brown, sack dress. Her feet were bare. Sasuke pulled out a piece of bandage. It was short, not really useful for a large wound, but Sasuke had kept in case he needed it.

"I'm going to tie your hair back Kushina. We're going to have to get moving soon." Sasuke said. Kushina nodded gently. She seemed enchanted with the sunshine. She took sips of water at regular intervals. Sasuke knew this was what she had been taught to do when she hadn't been given enough water for a while. He managed to tie her hair into a messy bun. With her feet bare, there was no way she would be able to walk anywhere. The fact that she obviously hadn't been allowed to use her legs much was also a hindering factor. Sasuke was good at making a bad situation better however.

"You're not strong enough to walk Kushina. I'm going to carry you back to the village." Sasuke said softly. "Thanks for coming to get me Uncle Sasuke. I was praying for so long. I hoped Dad would send someone for me. I prayed that someone would get here in time to help me." Kushina said, a few tears leaked from her eyes, and slipped down her cheeks. Sasuke pulled the teenager onto his back, and made to leave, when a voice came from nowhere.

"Sasuke-Kun. So good to see you again." Orochimaru hissed. Sasuke turned around, Kushina still on his back, to see Orochimaru and Kabuto. "You're not taking her back." Sasuke stated. "I don't want her. I want my little monster." Orochimaru replied. His eyes travelled to the swell of Kushina's baby bump. "You're not having the child either." Sasuke hissed back.

Orochimaru smirked evilly. Before anything else could be said however, a group of Ninja jumped in between Sasuke and Kushina, and Orochimaru and Kabuto.

Sasuke recognised the group straight away. One was Sai, the other three Sasuke knew, were Neji, Ten Ten and Sakura. Sasuke was shocked to see Sakura there. "Looks like you're not getting any options Orochimaru. There's more of us then you. Are you planning on dying today?" Neji asked. Sakura moved backwards towards Sasuke and Kushina, never taking her eyes from Orochimaru and Kabuto. Sasuke gave a smirk. He and Naruto had at least made Sakura cautious, if nothing else. She was next to the pair within moments. "I'll look after her Sasuke. I think you'd be better off in the fight." Sakura stated softly. Sasuke nodded and moved to stand next to Neji, Sai and Ten Ten.

"Ten Ten, stay with Sakura and Kushina. They'll need the extra protection." Sasuke said seriously. Ten Ten nodded and moved to stand in front of the pair like a barrier. Sasuke was their Anbu captain after all. "Neji, Sai, we need to be careful of those two. They want to get Kushina from us and run. They don't care how they do it either." Sasuke stated firmly. Neji and Sai nodded. They all took their own fighting stances and waited for Orochimaru and Kabuto to attack them.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sakura was sat with Kushina and assessing her injuries. She bit her lip when it came to the girl's large stomach. "You don't hate me do you Aunt Sakura?" Kushina asked softly. Her eyes were filled with tears. Sakura pulled the frail looking girl into her arms and hugged her tightly. "Of course not Kushina. I could never hate you. We've missed you so much sweetie." Sakura whispered gently. She felt Kushina's tears falling onto her shirt. "Do you think Dad will be angry with me?" Kushina asked. "No Kushina. He'll be so glad to see you. He won't be angry with you. Orochimaru is another matter of course." Sakura replied. Kushina was leaning heavily against Sakura. "I'm so tired Auntie Sakura. How is everyone?" Kushina asked. "Everyone's fine. They're all waiting for you." Sakura said softly. Kushina gave a weak smile and Sakura couldn't help but wonder how the strong little girl she'd known had become this frail looking teenager.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke, Sai and Neji were ready for anything. Orochimaru glared fiercely at them. "I'll be back Sasuke. You can be sure of that." Orochimaru hissed. Then he and Kabuto disappeared. Sasuke looked at Sakura. "We should leave before he decides to try and attack us. Kushina is our main priority." Sakura said softly. Sasuke nodded. "We still need to keep our guard up. He might still be lurking around." Sasuke replied. He walked forward and helped Kushina on to his back so he could carry her. The group all sped away as quickly as possible from the area.

Sasuke looked at Sakura, who was scribbling down a message. "For Naruto?" Sasuke asked. Sakura nodded. Sasuke smiled as the group carried on their journey. Sakura summoned a small slug and told it to deliver the tiny scroll to Naruto as quickly as was possible and the slug disappeared in a puff of smoke.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto bit his lip as he waited in his office for any news. He heard a knock at the door and muttered out a quick greeting. Nawaki, Itachi and Saiyuri walked into the office. "Hi Uncle Naruto." Itachi greeted calmly. "Hi Naruto." Nawaki stated. Saiyuri game a soft smile. "Hi Naruto-San." She said kindly. Naruto gave a half-hearted grin and looked at the group. "What are you all doing here?" He asked. "We all wondered if you'd heard anything Uncle Naruto." Itachi replied.

Naruto was about to open his mouth and tell the group he didn't know what was going on, when suddenly a slug appeared on his desk. "A message from Sakura-San." The slug said softly. He raised a hand to ask for a moment, before he took the scroll from the slug. He opened it and as he read it, the others in the room saw relief and happiness cross his face. "They've got her back and they're on their way home." Naruto stated gently. Saiyuri leapt up into the air, cheering happily, and Nawaki grinned and ruffled the girl's long hair. Itachi didn't say a word. He just looked relieved. Naruto couldn't help but feel joy in his heart. He'd soon see his daughter again.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina was holding on tight around Sasuke's shoulders when she felt a twinge of pain in her stomach. "Uncle Sasuke something's wrong with me." Kushina whispered. Sasuke stopped, and let Kushina sit down. She felt her stomach cramp painfully, and she looked at Sakura. "I think something's wrong with the baby Auntie Sakura." Kushina said fearfully. Sakura scanned Kushina, using her own healing chakra. That was when Kushina felt a trickle of water run down one of her legs. Sakura's eyes went wide. "We need to try and get back into Fire Country as fast as possible." Sakura stated. "Her waters have broken, she's officially in labour. It's dangerous for us to keep travelling with Kushina in this condition." Sakura added. Sasuke looked at Neji, Ten Ten and Sai. "How far do you think we are from Fire Country?" Sasuke asked. "A few miles at least." Neji replied plainly. "Then we'd better get going as fast as we can go." Sasuke said seriously.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Nightfall had come, and yet there was no sign of the retrieval team that Naruto had sent out. Naruto felt worry well up within him. He didn't want to move from his office until his daughter was bought back to him safe and sound. That was when he received a message from Sakura that made his jaw drop.

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As soon as the group had found somewhere to stop within Fire Country they had stopped. In fact they were in a small cave at the Valley of the End. Sai, Neji and Sasuke were outside the cave, keeping a look out for any trouble, while Ten Ten and Sakura were inside with Kushina. As soon as they had gotten there, Sakura had had to write a message for Naruto. She hadn't been sure what to tell him until Kushina had said it was alright to tell him about the child that was trying to make its way into the world. "It's better he finds out now rather than later when we come back with the squirt." Kushina had stated earlier. Now the three men cringed as they heard the teenager screaming in agony.

Sai and Sasuke looked at Neji as he winced. He glared at his two fellow Shinobi. "This is a time when I'm glad I was born a man." Neji stated seriously as another scream of pain rang out into the sunset. Sasuke and Sai nodded their agreement. After all, who really wants to go through the pain of childbirth?

Meanwhile, inside the cave, Kushina was trying to listen to Sakura's instructions. "Kushina, when you feel the pain, you have to bear down and push as hard as you can." Sakura stated seriously. "Why don't you do it for me then?" Kushina yelled angrily. Sakura sighed. "I've already given birth to four children Kushina. Two at the same time. I understand you're in pain, but it'll never be over unless you give birth or die, so my suggestion is to keep pushing." Sakura stated. Kushina glared but nodded. "Why did this have to happen to me?" Kushina asked weakly. "I don't know sweetheart. But at the moment the only thing we can do is make sure you and this baby survive." Sakura stated. Kushina nodded as she felt terrible pain well up within her again.

xXxXxXx THREE HOURS LATER xXxXxXx

The three males were still standing outside. None of them wanted to even imagine going into the cave at that moment. That was when they heard the wail of a baby. They all stared at each other in confusion. "Is it over? I thought my ears were going to start bleeding." Sai stated. Sasuke slapped Sai around the back of the head playfully. Sai just smirked. The group waited for Sakura or Ten Ten to come out and tell them it was alright to come in. That was when Ten Ten poked her head out of cave. "It's safe for you wimps to come in now." Ten Ten stated coldly. The three shrugged and went in. They saw Kushina holding a tiny bundle, wrapped up in a spare shirt of Sakura's. Kushina looked down at the child in amazement. "To think that came out of me." She said softly. "Boy or girl kiddo?" Sasuke asked. "A girl. I'm kinda glad she's a girl." Kushina stated. "What are you thinking of calling her?" Sakura asked softly. "Kimi." Kushina said softly. The baby's thick hair was black, with streaks and splashes of bright red, peppered all over it. Sasuke wondered if the child would have Kushina's, Itachi's or Orochimaru's eyes. He prayed that the child wouldn't carry the snakes eyes. It was well into the night now, and Sasuke thought that it would be a good idea to get some rest before they set off travelling again.

Later that night, Sasuke was still awake. He was supposed to have woken Neji for the next watch, but he couldn't sleep. He felt a presence sit next to him and knew straight away that it was Sakura. "Sakura?" Sasuke acknowledged. "It's strange isn't it? I delivered my husband's grandchild." Sakura stated cheerily. "He infused the baby with Itachi's DNA, as well as his own. Technically this baby is my grandchild too. I'm not even sure I know how to feel about what Orochimaru has done. For some reason, I get the feeling that I might have been able to stop this. If I'd never left the village and gone to him for power, he'd never have gotten a taste of what having an Uchiha's power could be like. Then he wouldn't have spent time wanting something more powerful." Sasuke said softly. Sakura placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "I don't know if that's true. I don't know if you could have made any difference. All I do know is that Orochimaru is a sick man. If he hadn't done this he would have done something worse. I don't know how but he would have. For now, we just need to protect Kushina. God knows what Naruto is going to say when we get back to Konoha." Sakura said kindly. Sasuke smirked at that statement. "I can just imagine Naruto's face now. Especially after you sent him that message." Sasuke said in amusement. Sakura gave a slight giggle. The two friends watched the sun rise, not ten minutes later. Both hoping for good things in the future.

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Okay all, that's this chapter finished. I hope you all liked it and such. Please R&R and let me know what you think. Oh and feel free to ask any questions you like and I'll be sure to reply to them. Until next time readers, hopefully I'll be updating soon.


	15. Eyes

Okay here's the next chapter of Redemption. I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed and added me to their faves and alerts lists. It's much appreciated.

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Redemption.

Chapter Fourteen – Eyes.

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Kushina was carried into Konoha by Sasuke, carrying her baby girl in her arms. As she arrived at the hospital, she saw her father waiting for her, alongside Tsunade. "Daddy?" She questioned softly. She wanted to know everything was alright. "It's all going to be fine Kushina-Chan." Naruto said kindly. He walked forward and took her from Sasuke. He carried his daughter into the hospital himself.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi and Saiyuri both looked irritated as they waited in Naruto's office for any news. Nawaki was stoic as he watched out of the window. "What do you think that message was about that made Uncle Naruto disappear so quickly?" Itachi stated irritably. "I don't know. I hope Kushina wasn't hurt." Saiyuri replied. "Both of you need to stop worrying. Naruto-San would have told us if Kushina was badly hurt." Nawaki stated firmly. "Yes Nawaki-Sensei." The pair replied at the same time. Then they both started pacing the room.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"WHAT!" Naruto yelled. Kushina looked a little frightened. However, baby Kimi just giggled. "Naruto! Don't yell!" Sakura exclaimed angrily. Naruto took a deep breath. "It's not you I'm upset with Kushina. It's that snake freak, Orochimaru. I'll hunt that bastard down and murder him." Naruto snarled. Then he looked at Sasuke. "Well it looks like we're both grandparents Teme." Naruto stated frankly. Sasuke shrugged. He'd just about gotten used to the idea himself. He made to leave the room. "Where're you going Teme?" Naruto asked. "Well someone is going to have to tell Itachi that he's technically a father." Sasuke stated. Kushina looked down at Kimi, as she lay in the hospital bed. "We're going to need to build up your strength Kushina. You've been confined for a while. The muscles in your legs are _this_ close from atrophy." Tsunade stated. She pinched her thumb and forefinger together for emphasis.

"It's so weird. I thought I was gonna die. Now I'm here and I'm safe. But I'm scared for Kimi more than me." Kushina said softly. Sakura, Naruto and Tsunade all looked at the sixteen year old girl. "We'll make sure that she's safe carrot top. I promise that she'll have the best protection that Konoha can provide." Naruto said seriously. Kushina grinned. "Thanks Dad. You know I missed you guys like crazy." Kushina said gently. That was when she felt arms wrap around her, and noted her father had moved from his position next to Sakura. "We missed you too Kushina. More then you know." Naruto whispered. Kushina couldn't help but hug her father back, one-armed, while she cradled Kimi in her other arm.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Orochimaru was sat in another one of his lairs, hissing angry curses to the walls. "Orochimaru-Sama we can always steal the child from Konoha. They'll let their guard down eventually." Kabuto stated. "Not soon enough. They'll have already spoiled the child. I intended it to be without emotion, or comfort, from the moment of birth. It would've grown perfectly. Then I would've taken over its body when it reached fifteen. Now that is ruined. The child will know emotions. But I will get revenge on Konoha. Even if I can't make it the perfect host, I'll take my little creation and let its mother see it die. I'll watch the heart of my little pet ripped to shreds as I kill the one thing she will treasure." Orochimaru stated. His voice filling with glee at the end of the sentence. Kabuto and Orochimaru both smirked evilly as they made plans to bring their vision to reality.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi heard someone coming up the hall. "Maybe it's Uncle Naruto." Itachi said softly. Saiyuri and Nawaki both looked at the door waiting to see who would open it. The door opened to reveal Sasuke. Itachi grinned. "Dad!" He exclaimed happily. He couldn't help hugging his father. He hadn't seen him for so long. "Hey Itachi. I need to talk to you." Sasuke said kindly. Itachi followed Sasuke out of the room and Saiyuri and Nawaki were still sat there wondering when they'd get some news.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke and Itachi were sat on top of the Hokage Monument. "What did you want to talk to me about Dad? Is it Kushina? She isn't hurt is she?" Itachi asked. He looked frightened and Sasuke knew that Itachi loved Kushina beyond all reasonable doubt. Despite the fact that they were a pair of teenagers. Sasuke also had a feeling that Kushina loved Itachi too. It was strange how being a Shinobi made a person think about serious things early on in life. "Kushina wasn't hurt. When she went back to Orochimaru's lair to finish him off, she was captured. That much you must already know. But she was used as an experiment for Orochimaru's gain." Sasuke said softly. "What does that mean?" Itachi asked. "It means that he wanted a vessel that was susceptible to his spirit. He also wanted a vessel with the Sharingan and Byakugan, so Kabuto stole a sample of your DNA somehow, and then meshed it with Orochimaru's DNA. They inserted that DNA into Kushina." Sasuke stated. He wasn't sure how to say the rest of it.

"So what? Has it made her a different person? I doubt it." Itachi stated firmly. "No Itachi, when they inserted the DNA into Kushina, they mixed it with her own DNA to create a vessel." Sasuke said. Itachi looked like he was trying to piece the puzzle together in his mind. "A _separate_ vessel." Sasuke added. He hoped Itachi would get what he was trying to say. Itachi still looked utterly confused. "Kushina gave birth to a baby Itachi. It's DNA is yours, Kushina's and Orochimaru's." Sasuke finally stated out loud. Itachi bit at his lip anxiously. "Is Kushina okay?" Itachi asked. "She will be. I think you should come and say hi to Kushina and meet the baby. After all, you are technically the father." Sasuke stated. "I always thought I'd have to actually have sex with someone to create a baby." Itachi stated curiously. Sasuke stared open-mouthed at his son, as the sixteen year old teen started walking off. "Are you coming Dad?" Itachi called over his shoulder. Sasuke nodded and got up from where he had been seated. _"And I thought my son was still a kid."_ Sasuke thought to himself. He followed Itachi to the hospital.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina looked down at Kimi. She gently brushed the baby's hair out of her eyes and saw her little girl sleeping soundly. That was when she heard her hospital room door open. She looked up to see Itachi. She didn't know what to say to him. Luckily she didn't have to say anything.

"Dad told me what happened. Is it a boy or a girl?" Itachi asked. "A girl. I called her Kimi." Kushina replied gently. Itachi walked towards the bed slowly and looked down that the baby that was cradled in Kushina's arms. "This is so weird. I thought we'd have at least done it, to have a kid." Itachi said. Kushina smirked. "Is that what you boys think of? One track minds right?" Kushina teased. Itachi blushed bright red. The two bantered for a little while until Kimi started crying suddenly. "Can I hold her?" Itachi asked. Kushina nodded and let Itachi take Kimi from her arms slowly. He cradled the little girl in his arms and she stopped crying. She opened her eyes to look at him, and Itachi grinned. Kimi had one blue eye and one black eye. An eye from Itachi and Kushina. Itachi showed Kushina eagerly and Kushina grinned. "At least she doesn't take after that freaky snake bastard in any way." Kushina stated. Itachi and Kushina remained silent then as Kimi fell back to sleep in Itachi's arms. Neither one of them wanted to even make a comment. Both of them hoped for a better future.

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Okay all that's the end of this chapter. I'll try and update as soon as possible but I make no promises. Please tell me what you think and I'll catch you next time.


	16. Daddy

Okay all here is chapter fifteen of Redemption. I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed and added me to their faves and alerts lists. It's extremely appreciated.

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Redemption.

Chapter Fifteen – Daddy.

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Kushina and Itachi were both sat in the hospital room still with Kimi. The baby was fast asleep and Itachi couldn't help but feel bonded to this small child. That was when Saiyuri and Nawaki walked into the room. Both Kushina and Itachi stared at their other two teammates. "Don't worry so much. Naruto-San told us what had happened." Nawaki replied to the unanswered question in both teen's faces. "I thought you had to do certain things to get a baby. I mean aren't there any obligations to fulfil anymore?" Saiyuri stated cheekily. Both Itachi and Kushina gave their silver-haired friend a firm glare. She just grinned and ran over to hug Kushina and then Itachi. Their team was back together again.

xXxXxXx TWO WEEKS LATER xXxXxXx

Kushina had recovered from her time in isolation and giving birth. At least she had mostly. She could walk around without too many problems, but sometimes she still felt tired or weak if she was walking around for too long. She was happy to look after her child. She had a bassinet in her room where Kimi slept. Itachi was a constant source of support. So were Kushina's family, and her friends. In fact Kimi was a healthy happy baby.

It was on a day such as this that Itachi was feeding Kimi with a bottle of baby formula and Kushina was lazing around on a sofa, just watching everything that was going on. Itachi stopped feeding Kimi and placed the child on his shoulder and started rubbing her back. Sakura had taught them both how to burp a baby. "Hey that's Daddy's girl!" Itachi exclaimed when a loud burp came from the tiny infant. Then he stopped in his tracks and looked at Kushina. It was like he was shocked at what he had said. "Don't look at me Itachi-kun. You are her dad. Well she technically has two fathers but no way am I ever gonna tell her about that snake bastard. So you are her Daddy. There's nothing wrong with saying it." Kushina said kindly. Itachi grinned. "It just seems so weird." Itachi replied. Neither of them said another word as both knew what Itachi meant.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke was sat with Naruto in the garden. "It's weird to be a grandfather isn't it." Naruto said cheerfully. Sasuke shrugged. "I thought I'd be a little older before I had any grandkids." Sasuke stated. "Well so did I Teme. But we're Shinobi. We're supposed to expect the unexpected. Although I gotta admit that this one was a real doozey to get over." Naruto replied. Both men smirked at each other without say another word.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

That evening, Naruto saw Kushina sitting on the old tree swing in the garden with Kimi in her arms. He opened the door gently and heard Kimi talking to the baby.

"You know Kimi. I grew up in this house and so will you. When you're older I'll teach you all the things that I was taught. So will your daddy and your grandfathers. They'll both want to teach you so much. I'll always be here for you Kimi. You won't end up like me. You'll always be safe..." Kushina trailed off. Naruto smiled as he sat down next to Kushina on the grass. She looked at her father and gave him a smile. "Hi Daddy." She said happily. "What are you doing out here?" Naruto asked. "Kimi woke up and she likes it out here. At least I think she does. She always goes to sleep if I sit out here with her for a while." Kushina replied. Naruto grinned. "She's like you then. When you were a tiny baby, your mother and I used to sit outside with you and you'd fall asleep in her arms." Naruto explained. Kushina nodded. "Do you think that she'd be happy with who I am now?" Kushina asked quietly. Naruto nodded. "Your mother would be very proud of you Kushina. You're a strong Kunoichi and nothing will change that." Naruto replied.

Kushina stood up from the tree swing and Naruto stood up also. "You know Dad. You're always going to be my Daddy. I don't think I could've asked for a better one." Kushina said softly. Naruto tousled Kushina's hair gently. "And you'll always be my carrot top no matter how old you get. I won't be calling you it all the time though." Naruto replied. The pair walked inside not speaking anymore, but both happy they had spoken to each other.

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Okay that's the end of this chapter. It was short and fluffy but it's a quick update. I'm sorry people. Please R&R and let me know what you think and I'll try and update as soon as possible.


	17. Androgynous

Okay here's the next chapter of Redemption. I hope you all like it. I know it's been a while, but I actually had a mental block and wasn't sure what to write. Anywho thanks to all those who reviewed and to all those who added me to their faves and alert lists. It is very appreciated. Thanks again. By the way this chapter is humorous and may have references to things that are more adult.

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Redemption.

Chapter Sixteen – Androgynous?

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Kushina, Itachi and Saiyuri all stared at their Sensei for a moment. All three of them were totally dumbfounded. "You want us to what now?" Itachi asked. "We're going on an undercover mission as a team. You three are going to be the hookers." Nawaki stated. "I'm a guy. I don't exactly have the features for hooker." Itachi stated irritably. "Are you saying because we're girls we're hooker material?" Saiyuri hissed at Itachi. She started cracking her knuckles, a wave of killer intent washed over the group. The younger male gulped and put his hands up in a sign of surrender. "I didn't mean it like that Saiyuri. I meant that it's usually women who are hookers. But you and Kushina could never look like hookers." Itachi said timidly. Saiyuri was still glaring, however, she had stopped cracking her knuckles.

"Of course you're going to dress the part. Itachi you're androgynous so if I tell anyone that you're a rent boy, which is a male hooker, then no one is likely to disbelieve me." Nawaki stated cheerfully. Kushina glared. "Are you trying to say that my baby's daddy looks like a man-whore?" Kushina asked icily. She radiated killer intent without having to move an inch. Now Nawaki was the one backing away. "Of course I'm not Kushina. But for this mission to succeed we have to be able to get into this make out bar and girls are not clients to a make out bar." Nawaki said quickly. Saiyuri and Kushina looked at each other, and then back at their Sensei. "What about the lesbian perverts?" Kushina and Saiyuri asked at the same time. Both Itachi and Nawaki sweatdropped.

xXxXxXx LATER THAT DAY xXxXxXx

"Why do we have to shop for outfits?" Kushina asked. Nawaki sighed at Kushina's complaint. "Yeah Sensei, couldn't we just go and see what the hookers look like here in Konoha and use genjutsu?" Saiyuri asked. "NO! You three are not going into a Konoha make out bar! Your parents would murder me!" Nawaki yelled. "And yet you are taking us to a make out bar in the middle of nowhere anyway." Itachi replied. Nawaki sighed. "It's a mission. That's totally different." Nawaki stated. "But we're still going to see the same things that we'd see here, at the mission, so what's the difference?" Saiyuri quipped. "There is a difference. Here it's not a mission. There it is. Your parents can murder me here." Nawaki replied. The three students pouted as they followed their Sensei through the trashiest shop that existed in Konoha.

xXxXxXx THE NEXT DAY xXxXxXx

The three students looked at what they were wearing. "What the hell kind of outfit did you pick for me to wear Nawaki-Sensei!" Itachi yelled. The two girls stared at the red leather pantsuit, with attached lead. "That looks like an outfit for a gimp." Saiyuri stated. Kushina, Itachi and Nawaki all stared at Saiyuri in shock. "I don't know why you guys are so shocked. My mother is the _Anko_ Mitarashi-Hatake." Saiyuri stated. The rest of the group shrugged. _"Wait until I tell them how they have to act."_ Nawaki thought to himself.

xXxXxXx ONE WEEK LATER xXxXxXx

"Sensei, this better be finished in one night. I want to get back to Kimi." Kushina hissed. Saiyuri pouted. "Is that your only complaint Kushina-Chan? We look like hookers in these outfits." Saiyuri hissed. "We're supposed to look like hookers." Itachi chipped in. "Well all that red leather looks scary on you Itachi." Kushina stated. "Yeah, you're totally androgynous." Saiyuri added. "What does my being androgynous have to do with-" Itachi was cut off by a yank to the little red lead that Nawaki had around his neck. The three students glared at their Sensei. "Be quiet, we're going in now." Nawaki whispered. The trio stayed quiet and demure as they had been told to all week.

xXxXxXx LATER THAT NIGHT xXxXxXx

Kushina glared at the pile of men that she had unceremoniously dumped on the floor after knocking each and every one of them out. Saiyuri was glaring at a similar pile, whilst Nawaki and Itachi guarded their prisoner. Of course Kushina and Saiyuri had both thrown a fit when a man had come up to ask for a foursome with the two girls, and Itachi. The guy's exact words were "It's be hot to do it with two manly girls and a girly guy." That had been the end of the discussion and the make out bar cover.

Of course Itachi and Nawaki both wondered exactly how terribly the world would suffer if all women had the same strength as Saiyuri and Kushina. They were frightening enough all by themselves.

xXxXxXx THE NEXT DAY xXxXxXx

"WHAT!?" The trio yelled as Naruto was stacking papers. "I said the mission as a success. We got all the information from the guy about the ramen bowl that he stole from the Daimiyo." Naruto stated. "We did all that for a ramen bowl?" Kushina said calmly. Saiyuri and Itachi stepped away from Kushina carefully. Naruto wasn't paying attention. "It wasn't just any ramen bowl. It was an antique and it belonged to the Daimiyo of Fire Country." Naruto replied. Itachi, Saiyuri and Nawaki covered their ears.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"WHAT THE HELL KIND OF PARENT SENDS THEIR DAUGHTER ON A MISSION TO A MAKE OUT BAR TO BE OGLED BY PERVERTS FOR A RAMEN BOWL?!!!!"

Sakura looked up from the work she was doing in the hospital when she heard the screaming. "Looks like Kushina finally found out why they were sent on that mission." Sakura said to herself as she went back to work.

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Okay all, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know it was almost crack like, but weirder things have happened. I hope it at least got a laugh out of some of you and please R&R and let me know what you think. I won't promise that I'll be updating soon. I don't know exactly when I'll have the time because my exams for Uni are coming up. So thanks to all of you for your patience.


	18. Snake

Okay, here is the next chappie of Redemption and I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and to all those who added me to their faves and alert lists. I really appreciate it.

Also I hate to inform you all but I will have no internet for the next four weeks. I am going to be in Cyprus, on holiday with my lovely family (God help me) and there is no internet in my grandparent's place. But I will be writing updates while I'm over there and you will get a new chapter when I come back. I promise.

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Redemption.

Chapter Seventeen – Snake.

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It had been two years since Kushina had been returned home. Itachi and Kushina were dating now and the village was quite peaceful. However, Kushina had now taken a position in the interrogation division. Her special skills with her red Byakugan, now known as Blood Byakugan, were astounding. Kushina had been visiting her grandfather, Hiashi Hyuga, quite often and had learned quite a few techniques from him. She had also learned a lot about her mother from Hiashi as well. Her Aunt Hanabi was the heir of the Hyuga clan now.

It was on such a day that Kushina, who took Kimi to visit her great grandfather, that Kushina noticed something that frightened her. Kimi was two years old, and she was tired and irritable. As she started crying loudly, Kushina noticed her eyes change from their original colour to the horrible snake like eyes of Orochimaru. Kushina was terrified of what the consequences would be for little Kimi now.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto, Sasuke and Nawaki were sat in Naruto's office. Both men were just sitting in silence, enjoying the sunny day, when Mayumi burst into the office. "Nawaki you have GOT to help me!" Mayumi yelled. "Why?" Nawaki asked irritably. "Because Sakumo is going to kill Dan!" Mayumi yelled again. "I ask again. Why?" Nawaki asked. "Because Sakumo found out that Dan is dating Saiyuri!" Mayumi yelled. All three males rolled their eyes. "Sakumo and Dan will figure it out on their own." Nawaki stated. Mayumi glared. "If you don't come and help me right now then I'll... I'll tell Mom you have the S&M version of Icha Icha!" Mayumi yelled. Nawaki's eyes went wide. "But I don't!" Nawaki yelled. Even at the age of twenty-two, Nawaki was still terrified of his mother. "But she doesn't know that." Mayumi quipped. Nawaki glared and stood up. "Fine I'll help." Nawaki stated angrily.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina was at home now. She watched Kimi playing in the garden with Minato and Chiyo and she couldn't help wondering if Kimi would stay as safe and happy as she was right now. That was when she felt the burning pain of her mark. Her eyes went wide. She hadn't felt the pain of her ark in nearly three years. She knew what it meant. She looked at Sakura, who was making something to eat in the kitchen. "Auntie Sakura?" Kushina gritted out. Sakura's eyes went wide. "You're in pain?" Sakura asked. Kushina nodded. "I have to go and see Dad. It's the mark." Kushina said softly. Sakura gave her stepdaughter a confused look. "It means that _he's_ near to the village." Kushina added. Sakura's eyes went wide as dinner plates and she nodded her understanding. Kushina got up from where she was sitting and made some hand signs. With a poof she was gone and Sakura felt worry creeping up on her.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina appeared in her father's office in moments. Sasuke and Naruto were both startled when Kushina poofed into existence. "What's wrong Kushina?" Naruto asked seriously. "_He's_ on the move." Kushina said softly. "Orochimaru. He must be near here." Kushina added. Sasuke looked at Kushina carefully. "Your mark has been hurting you again right?" Sasuke asked. "How do you know that Teme?" Naruto asked. "I know what it's like. I learned to control the pain after a while. But it took a long time before I didn't feel pain in Orochimaru's presence. Kushina hasn't really had the practice." Sasuke said softly. "Now we have to figure out where he is and what he's planning." Naruto quipped.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Orochimaru and Kabuto hid in the area around Konoha. They had their own little army waiting. The reason that no Konoha scout had reported was because Orochimaru had had his men kill any leaf ninja they saw. By the time Konoha knew he was coming, Orochimaru knew it would be too late. He would attack Konoha and raise it to the ground. Then he would take Kushina's child and raise it as his tool. I had taken a while to plan this but he felt it was worth it.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tsunade had just cleaned up Sakumo and Dan, after Mayumi and Nawaki dragged them to her. That was when she felt it. The chakra of her old teammate, her husband's murderer, and it was getting closer. She left in a hurry. After all, she had to warn Naruto.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sakura was in the house. All the children were home now. Itachi, Saiyuri and Kushina were all out of course. That was when Sakura heard the explosion and as she rushed outside, she saw a snake smashing through the wall of the village. She looked at Hinata, who had run outside with her. "Hinata, take the others and go to one of the civilian shelters. Wait for orders there." Sakura stated firmly. Hinata nodded and gathered the others, before herding them away from the battle. She held Kimi in her arms. As Sakura watched, the little girl started crying, and as Kimi looked at her over Hinata's shoulder, Sakura saw Kimi's eyes change into the awful colour of Orochimaru's eyes. In that very moment, her fear escalated.

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Okay I know this was a short chapter, but I'm running out of time to write all the updates LOL! Please R&R and tell me what you think okay everyone? I'll see you all when I get to update next time.


	19. Fight

Okay all here is the next chapter of Redemption. I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed and added me to their faves and alert lists. I really appreciate it.

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Redemption.

Chapter Eighteen – Fight.

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Kushina felt her mark burn even more painfully as an explosion came from the main gates of the village. She looked at her father and Sasuke as they stared at the damage. Naruto glared fiercely as he stood from his chair. "We need to assemble everyone who's not away on missions." Naruto stated seriously. Kushina couldn't help but respect her father. He was a true figure of authority when the time came for it. Sasuke was already gone. Off to assemble the Anbu. Kushina looked at her father, waiting for his orders. "I want you to inform the interrogation squad. Then I want you to fight your hardest." Naruto said to his daughter. Kushina couldn't help but smile as she went to fulfil his wishes. After all, what greater mark of trust was there to a runaway child, then for her father to give her the freedom to protect the home she ran from?

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi and Saiyuri came out of the academy, where they had been helping out for the day, and stared for merely a moment. "Saiyuri, go and tell the teachers to evacuate." Itachi stated seriously. Saiyuri nodded. "I'll be joining you and Kushina afterwards." Saiyuri quipped as she ran inside. Itachi smiled, before he leapt off to find the nearest battle.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tsunade could see Anbu assembling, and she knew that Naruto and Sasuke knew what was happening. Then she saw Sakura fighting against Kabuto. Tsunade couldn't help smiling as Kabuto tried to land fatal strikes on Sakura using Chakra Scalpel, as Sakura dodged expertly. Soon Sakura was landing her own dangerous blows on the evil medic.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sai and Ino had already gotten Chouji's wife to evacuate their children to a civilian shelter. After all, Chouji's wife was not a Shinobi. Soon Ino and Sai were fighting back to back, against almost overwhelming amounts of Sound Ninja. "How many of these bastards are there?" Ino yelled as she managed to take down her fifth Shinobi for the day. Sai shrugged. "This is why we should be having more children." Sai stated calmly as he dispatched another Sound Ninja. "You're not the one that pushes them out are you?" Ino quipped as she grabbed one of the Sound Ninja in a headlock and started choking him as she got angrier. "After all, you get all the pleasure of it while I have to go through nine months of pregnancy and several hours of labour, and what do I get for my trouble? A 'well done honey' a pat on the back and maternity leave while you work extra hours!" Ino yelled at Sai. Some of the Sound Ninja were backing away. Ino was a terrifying prospective opponent. Sai just grinned. "You know it is fun really? I mean think about it, you get pleasure too." Sai quipped. Ino's face went bright red with anger as she started going through more Sound Ninja at double the speed. Sai just smirked. _"I knew she'd react like that."_ Sai thought to himself.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Soon, Tsunade found herself face to face with Orochimaru. "So Tsunade how's life been as a widow?" Orochimaru asked callously. Tsunade glared angrily. "About the same as how you'll feel when I detach your balls from your body." Tsunade hissed back. Then she was on the attack. Orochimaru was dodging and Tsunade was ready at any moment to rip him to pieces. That is when she could get her hands on him of course.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto found himself with Sasuke, the pair of them back to back and obviously finishing off their opponents without too much effort. That was when they took note of Nawaki, along with Dan, Sakumo and Mayumi, jumping in to the fray. Obviously all arguments between Dan and Sakumo had been forgotten. Naruto had a feeling of foreboding as he saw a dark cloud gathering over Konoha.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina had alerted the interrogation squad. She found herself running along the streets, looking for anyone obstructing the civilians from evacuation. That was when she took note of a fight going on between Kabuto and Sakura. She glared as Kabuto almost got in a fatal strike. That was when she unsheathed her katana and jumped in between Sakura and Kabuto.

"Kabuto you little bastard! Keep your grubby hands off of my stepmother!" Kushina yelled. Then she charged straight in to the fight. Sakura watched wide eyed as Kushina activated her own chakra scalpel. She had been learning medical ninjutsu from Sakura. Kushina ducked and weaved around Kabuto's strikes, and he ducked and weaved around hers. Sakura watched them move around each other, like they were dancing, in a terrible dance of death.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

As soon as Naruto and Sasuke had finished off the troops of Oto Ninjas that they'd been caught up with, they were on their way forwards. Both looking for their loved ones and hoping they were alive in this fray.

As Naruto and Sasuke passed the cemetery, Naruto took note of a fight that shouldn't be happening. At least not in his eyes. Orochimaru was on the attack and Tsunade was dodging, but Naruto knew that Tsunade was getting too old for such a fight. Orochimaru just kept switching bodies. That was when Orochimaru regurgitated Kusanagi, and made a shot for Tsunade's heart. That was when Naruto jumped in the way.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina glared as Kabuto made to strike at her sides. She knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to disable her ovaries, thereby stopping her from producing anymore children. Kushina saw red, and she then used the eight trigram three hundred and sixty-one palms on Kabuto. Then as he was lying there, coughing up blood she picked up her previously discarded katana, sheathed it, and then activated her Blood Byakugan.

Sakura watched in horror as Kabuto started writhing on the ground, and Kushina carried on staring at him. Then Kabuto started screaming horribly, and finally he slumped in to unconsciousness. Sakura wasn't sure what to say to Kushina. "That's why I never usually show the Blood Byakugan outside of the interrogation squad building." Kushina whispered softly. Sakura placed an arm around her shoulders and hugged her gently. Kushina swallowed nervously and looked at Kabuto. "He won't wake up for a long time. I have to free him from his unconscious state. I'm not going to do that until he's locked up in an Anbu interrogation cell." Kushina stated. Sakura nodded and the pair left the scene, leaving Kabuto to lie in the dirt.

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Naruto had jumped in front of Tsunade and taken a Kusanagi through his chest. Sasuke and Tsunade both stared in horror. That was when the pair of them heard a horrified scream. They turned to see Kushina and Sakura had arrived. It was Kushina who had screamed. She was shaking as she saw her father impaled on Orochimaru's sword.

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Itachi, Saiyuri, Sakumo, Dan, Mayumi and Nawaki found themselves near the cemetery. That was when they heard an anguished scream. The group rushed towards the sound, only to find themselves staring at the impaled body of their Hokage, and Kushina had dropped to the ground on her knees. Nawaki felt sick to his stomach. After all, he had already seen his father die the same way. Tsunade looked grief stricken at the sight. Mayumi, Dan and Sakumo all shook in terror at the sight of their Sensei in such danger.

Sasuke was about to jump in to action and finish Orochimaru once and for all, but he didn't get the chance. Before he could get over his shock and move, he saw a flash of pink race ahead of him. Sakura pulled at Orochimaru's tongue, then used chakra scalpel to cut right through the disgustingly long organ. Orochimaru broke away, gushes of blood leaking from his mouth. He howled angrily, as he attempted to stop the bleeding.

Sakura glared hatefully as she rushed to carry on the attack. Everyone watched on as Sakura landed the hits that Tsunade had been unable to. Sakura seemed to be a force to be reckoned with as she carried on beating Orochimaru to a bloody pulp. Of course Orochimaru fought back, but to Sakura, his hits seemed to be ineffectual. Soon Sakura's fury had Orochimaru backed in to a corner. She raised her chakra infused fist and the whole group could practically feel the power within it. They knew this would be the end for the snake Sannin.

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Okay all, there will be only two more chapters after this one, as... well I suppose it's because I've just come to the end of my story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm not really sure if there will be a sequel. I won't make promises but I will leave the option open. (nods)

Anywho, please R&R and let me know what you thought about this chapter. If you have any questions or anything else, feel free to tell me. See you all next time I update.


	20. Worth

Hi everyone. Here's the next chapter of Redemption. I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and added me to their faves and alert lists. I really appreciate it. Next chapter will be the last one for this fic.

I'm sorry that it's taken me ages to update but life has been rather hectic for me lately, so I haven't been jumping at my laptop for a while. I've been rather busy helping my poor Mom to clean up the entire house. I'm not sure when I'll be updating next, but I try to make it a habit to update at least once or twice a month. You see my Mom is having surgery and she won't be allowed to move around a lot afterwards, so I will be (unfortunately as it were) taking over the household until she's up and about. I apologise to all of you that have to wait for my updates, and I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for your patience everyone.

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Redemption.

Chapter Nineteen – Worth.

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Before Sakura could land the punch, her wrist was grasped gently. Everyone looked at Tsunade. "You shouldn't have to do this Sakura. Killing him out of revenge won't help anyone." Tsunade said softly. Sakura was shaking, tears crept down her cheeks. That was when something strange happened. Orochimaru started convulsing on the ground. His eyes rolled back in to his head, and he started screaming in agony. Everyone looked wide eyed at the sight, as finally, Orochimaru fell limp, and his last breath rattled from his body. The group turned to Kushina, but she appeared as shocked as they did, as she sat by the side of her father. Then a small figure came from out of the shadows, and the group stared at the girl in shock. It was Hinata Uzumaki, her Byakugan blazed a blood red like her sister's.

"I don't know what happened." Hinata said softly. Kushina beckoned Hinata over to them, and the girl ran over. Sakura and Tsunade, as well as the rest of the group, ran to the side of their fallen Hokage. Naruto was coughing, trying not to think of the sword that was lodged in his chest. "You need to pull it out." Naruto whispered to Sakura and Tsunade. They did as he asked. After all, how could Kyubi heal Naruto around a sword?

Sasuke came forward and picked up the heavily bleeding, but healing, Naruto. Then he looked at the group. "I know this is hard. But we all need to keep on fighting. I'll take Naruto to the hospital. Tsunade-Sama, Sakura, come with me. You're both Medic-Nins. Apart from that, we need to drive out Sound. We can't wait to get rid of them." Sasuke stated. Kushina and Hinata were about to protest when Naruto spoke up. His voice was weak. "He's right. All of you get going. I'll be fine. If I'm not I'll get Sakura-Chan to come and get you." Naruto said softly. The others didn't like it, but Naruto was their Hokage, and his word was law, so they did as he asked.

xXxXxXx TWO DAYS LATER xXxXxXx

Soon the Sound invasion was pushed back. The injured and the dead had been moved to the hospital, or the morgue. Sound prisoners had been moved to the interrogation squad's own prison cells. At this moment, Naruto Uzumaki, lay in a hospital bed. He was weakened greatly and was not conscious, despite Tsunade and Sakura's best efforts. Sakura sat on one side of his bed. Minato and Chiyo were sat on her lap. Kasumi, little Sasuke, and Hinata stood by her side. Sasuke sat on the windowsill, waiting for his best friend to awaken. Itachi, Hikari and little Naruto, stood on the other side of the bed. Kushina sat in the chair on the other side of her father's bed. She was willing him to wake up. Kimi was sleeping on Kushina's lap.

Tsunade was always in and out of the hospital room. Kakashi, Nawaki, Mayumi, Dan and Sakumo also visited on a regular basis. While Naruto was in such a bad way, Tsunade had retaken up her position as Fifth Hokage until Naruto became well again. The council didn't seem to think that would happen, and were urging Tsunade to make the call, to remove Naruto from his position as Hokage, and to elect another. Tsunade had refused. Her anger had frightened the council and no more was said on the subject.

Now as the occupants of the room watched, Naruto Uzumaki fluttered his eyelids. Then his eyes opened fully. Sakura sighed with relief. Kushina grabbed hold of her father's hand and squeezed. Naruto gave a soft smile as he looked at everyone around the room. "You'd think somebody died. I'm fine." Naruto said bluntly.

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Kushina and Itachi looked out over the village. People were rebuilding, and a lot of the village had been left in ruins. But as soon as Naruto had awoken and got back on his feet, he'd used shadow clones to go round and help the worst affected areas of the village. He was also back in his position as Hokage, and Tsunade was free to carry on at the hospital. Things seemed to be going well.

Itachi looked at Kushina and grinned. "So what do we do now?" Itachi asked. Kushina looked at Itachi. "We live?" Kushina replied softly. Itachi couldn't help but grin even wider. He was used to Kushina's strange but straight forward nature. "Of course we live." The pair looked at Saiyuri who had just arrived. "We were lucky. None of us lost someone precious." Kushina added. Itachi nodded. "Yeah everyone was fine. We still need to train more. Get stronger." Itachi stated. His two female teammates nodded their agreement. Protecting their village was everything to them now.

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Hinata was sat in the Hokage's office, looking at her father. "Dad?" Hinata asked gently. Naruto looked at Hinata. "What's wrong Hinata?" Naruto asked. "Do you think that what I did to Orochimaru was wrong?" Hinata asked. "No Hinata. I think that Orochimaru deserved everything he got. I know you didn't have control of the Blood Byakugan then. Don't blame yourself. Just make sure you train to control it." Naruto replied. Hinata couldn't help hugging her father then. "Thanks Dad." Hinata whispered. "For what?" Naruto asked. "For not thinking I'm a monster." Hinata replied. "I could never think that." Naruto quipped. Hinata grinned.

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At sunset, Naruto was on top of the Hokage monument looking over the village. Sasuke was stood next to him. "So when you came back, did you think all of this would happen?" Naruto asked. Sasuke smirked. "No. To be honest I thought I was going to die. I never thought I'd see my first grandchild. In fact I didn't think I'd make it to see my son become a true Shinobi. All I wanted was to make sure that my children were safe and to redeem myself to you, Sakura and Kakashi. All of this was an added bonus." Sasuke replied. "All of it?" Naruto asked cheekily. Both men laughed.

"So do you think I redeemed myself?" Sasuke asked his oldest friend. "I think you more than redeemed yourself Sasuke. But was it all worth it?" Naruto asked. Sasuke gave Naruto a true smile. "Yeah. It was worth it. Every minute of it." Sasuke replied.

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Okay that's the end of this chapter. I hope you all liked it. Next chapter will be the last one. Please R&R and let me know what you thought. See you all next time I update people.


	21. Forever

Okay all, here's the last chapter of Redemption. I hope you like it. It's just a round up chapter really. Thanks to everyone who kept up with this fic and bothered to read it. I truly appreciate it. I am going to put up summaries for fics that I've started writing but obviously haven't put up yet. Please feel free to PM or tell me in your reviews which one (or ones) you'd like to see come up first. I will take everyone's opinion in to account of course. If I could remember how to put up a poll properly, then I'd do it. I might do it anyways when I figure out how. Anywho's on with the last chappie.

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Redemption.

Chapter Twenty – Forever.

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Naruto and Sasuke were at the Ninja Academy. Most children knew Naruto. In fact the children would often call him 'Naru-Jii-Chan' now. After all, Naruto was an old man. So was Sasuke. But most people, although they knew Sasuke to be a good-natured old warrior, didn't usually pester him. Sakura sat on Naruto's other side. She was old too. Some small children were sat around their feet. A little girl with black hair, and big blue eyes, stared up at all of them incredulously. "Naruto Jii-Chan! Sasuke Jii-Chan! Sakura Baa-Chan! When are Hiashi-Kun and Haku-Chan coming out?" The little girl asked.

"Don't pester Naruto Jii-Chan, Sasuke Jii-Chan and Sakura Baa-Chan, Mikoto-Chan. They'll come out when it's time for them to come out." Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura smiled at the red haired young woman who came over to them. One eye was onyx, the other blue. She grinned at the child, who cheered loudly. "Kimi Nee-Chan! I missed you!" Mikoto screamed loudly and ran up to the older female. She picked up her little sister and looked at her grandparents cheerfully. "Where're Mom and Dad?" Kimi asked. "They'll be here in a few minutes. Your Mom just got a missing nin in to the Interrogation building thanks to your Dad." Naruto replied. Kimi shrugged and sat down with her grandparents. Then another pair of males were walking towards them. They were walking clones of their fathers, holding their own, two year old clones in their arms. "Uncle Sasuke! Uncle Naruto! Come on! Hiashi-Kun and Haku-Kun aren't out yet!" Mikoto yelled. Kimi rolled her eyes at her small sister's loudness. Naruto Uchiha, sat down next to his father, and passed his two year old son, Sanosuke, to Sasuke. Sasuke Uzumaki, sat next to his father, and passed his son, Ryo, to Naruto.

Of course that was when another set of people turned up. A woman who looked very much like her mother before her, was leading a little girl by the hand towards the group. Her dark hair shone with the streaks of gold she'd had since childhood, and her daughter was no different. "Come on Sakura-Chan! Look there's Sakura Baa-Chan, don't you want to say hi." Hinata Sabaku, asked her small daughter. Yes Hinata had married one of Gaara's two sons, Takashi. He walked with them. Her daughter, little Sakura, was as shy as her grandmother, Hinata, had once been.

From another direction, another girl walked with a baby in her arms, and a ten year old boy trailing behind her. "Come on Kenji, everyone's waiting." The woman stated. "But Mom, all Kiku does all day is whine. Couldn't she have stayed at home with Dad?" The ten year old boy asked his mother. The woman pouted irritably. "Of course not. Kiku is too young to be left without me for too long." The woman said. "Kasumi, come and sit down!" Hinata called out. Kasumi nodded and walked over cheerfully.

A pair came walking towards the group. Each of them held a baby. One was a blonde male with green eyes, the other was a pink haired female with blue eyes. "Auntie Chiyo! Uncle Minato! Hurry!" Mikoto yelled as the twins walked over. Both ruffled Kimi's hair before they sat down. All of them being close to the same age of course.

That was when a dark haired female walked towards the group with two young children. A five year old and a three year old. The two children were running ahead and playing together like a pair of tumbling kittens. The woman waved to the group as she arrived, and the two children followed her obediently when she sat down. "Hi Hikari! Are Miki and Asuka giving you a hard time?" Kasumi asked when she was finally seated herself. "No not really. They're just so playful recently." Hikari replied.

That was when Saiyuri arrived with Dan. Their own daughter trailing with them. "How are you doing Saiyuri, Dan?" Naruto asked. Dan grinned. "We're doing fine Sensei. Hopefully Iruka will graduate today." Dan stated. "And Shizune here should be happy to see her older brother graduate. Right Shizune?" Dan said to his daughter. She shrugged. "I don't care." She said as she pouted. Her chocolate coloured hair and dark eyes shone in the sunshine.

"You shouldn't think like that Shizune." The group looked at Sakumo and Mayumi. It was Sakumo who had spoken. A little girl hid behind Mayumi's leg. "Come on Rika. Come out and say hi to everyone." Mayumi said gently to her little daughter. "Don't you want to see Shin-Aniki come out of the Academy?" Sakumo asked his small daughter. The little girl came out from behind Mayumi's leg, but she didn't stray too far from her parents.

"Hi everyone!" The group looked to see Nawaki coming along. Tsunade was with him. She was very old now, and didn't hide her age with Genjutsu anymore. She walked with a cane, and was very happily retired. Nawaki had always taken good care of his mother. "So you're hoping Jiraiya and Little Tsunade have graduated of course." Naruto said to Nawaki. Nawaki nodded. "It really makes me think about their Mother. She'd have been so proud." Nawaki stated. Everyone nodded their understanding.

That was when they noticed a flash of red coming from far away. "MOMMY!" Mikoto yelled. She was bouncing in her seat. Two of the younger children looked out for the flash of red, and as it got closer, they could see Kushina's face. Next to her was Itachi. The pair were holding hands. They'd been married for a while now.

Mikoto and the other two children jumped up and ran ahead. Mikoto threw herself into her mother's arms. The other two screamed in delight, as Itachi picked them up and swung them around. "Hi Dad, Uncle Sasuke, Auntie Sakura." Kushina said to the older adults. They gave her a grin. "Have Mikoto, Noriko and Shuya been good today?" Kushina asked, as she ruffled the hair of Mikoto. "Of course. They're always well behaved." Sakura replied. Naruto grinned.

That was when they saw a white and red robed figure coming towards them. It was Konohamaru. Naruto had appointed the younger man Hokage when he reached his own old age. After all, it was his dream also. Konohamaru grinned as he approached the group. Several others came along. Kakashi and Anko, all the old rookies, and they were old now, and even Gaara had turned up. That wasn't such a surprise. After all, his son, Hiroki, had taken over as Kazekage a few years ago. Gaara had wanted to be near his closest friend. Naruto was the closest friend he had ever had, and the two males always spent some of the time each day playing chess. One after the other, people turned up to watch the students come out of the Academy. After all, this was a special day in Konoha. It was the day of graduation.

As everyone watched, students came pouring out of the academy. A pair of twins caught Kushina and Itachi's attention. Two dark haired boys with one onyx eye and one pure white eye came running over with Cheshire grins on their faces. They both displayed headbands on their foreheads proudly, and Kushina and Itachi gathered the two boys into hugs. Other students arrived, and their parents greeted them. That included Nawaki, Sakumo and Mayumi, Dan and Saiyuri, and several others.

Sasuke and Naruto grinned at each other. "You know, it's amazing how this village keeps going." Sasuke said softly. Naruto chuckled. "It keeps going because we keep believing in Konoha. As long as we keep believing in Konoha it will always keep going." Naruto replied. The two men watched their grandchildren play together and realised that indeed, Konoha would carry on forever. It would carry on in the hearts of their children and grandchildren. Sasuke grinned. "Konoha will always live on then. Even after we're long gone, our children will carry on believing. Then our grandchildren will too." Sasuke stated. Naruto smiled widely. "I think the word you're looking for Teme, is forever." Naruto said softly. Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. Forever. It sounds right." Sasuke replied.

"To Forever then." The two men looked at Sakura, and Kakashi was next to her. "Yeah to forever." Both men replied.

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Okay all that's the end. I dunno who sappy this all looks at the end. I hope you all enjoyed the ending anyways. Thanks to all of you for reading and sticking with the fic to the end. I really appreciate it. Please R&R and let me know what you think. Anywho,


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